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kqd  f^triotg  of 

By  JOHN  S.  C.  ABBOTT. 


Each  one  volume,  i2mo,  illustrated,  $1.50. 


DANIEL  BOONE, 

MILES  STANDISH, 

FERDINAND  DE  SOTO, 

PETER  STUYVESANT, 
KIT  CARSON, 

DAVID   CROCKETT. 

Other  Volumes  in  preparation. 


AMERICAN  PIONEERS  AND  PATRIOTS. 


DAVID  CROCKETT 


LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES. 


BY 


JOHN  S.  C.  ABBOTT. 


NEW    YORK: 

DODD  &  MEAD,  No.  762  BROADWAY. 
i  874. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1874,  by 

DODD  &  MEAD, 
in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


LANGE,  LITTLE  &  Co., 

R1NTERS, 


STEAEOTTPB  Co.  1C8  T0  u4  WOOSTKR  STREET,  N.  Y 


QJllflrb 

P  R  E  FAC  E. 

DAVID  CROCKETT  certainly  was  not  a  model  man. 
But  he  was  a  representative  man.     He  was  conspic- 
,3       uously  one  of  a  very  numerous  class,  still  existing, 
and  which  has  heretofore  exerted  a  very  powerful 
influence  over  this  republic.     As  such,  his  wild  and 


wondrous    life    is  worthy   of  the   study  of  every 
V>     patriot.     Of  this  class,  their  modes  of  life  and  habits 

~\ 

S*  of  thought,  the  majority  of  our    citizens  know  as 
*    little  as  they  do  of  the  manners  and  customs  of  the 
Comanche  Indians. 

No  man  can  make  his  name  known  to  the  forty 
millions  of  this  great  and  busy  republic  who  has  not 
something  very  remarkable  in  his  character  or  his 
career.  But  there  is  probably  not  an  adult  Ameri- 
can, in  all  these  widespread  States,  who  has  not  heard 
of  David  Crockett.  His  life  is  a  veritable  romance, 
with  the  additional  charm  of  unquestionable  truth. 


iv  PREFACE. 

It  opens  to  the  reader  scenes  in  the  lives  of  the 
lowly,  and  a  state  of  semi-civilization,  of  which  but 
few  of  them  can  have  the  faintest  idea. 

It  has  not  been  my  object,  in  this  narrative,  to 
defend  Colonel  Crockett  or  to  condemn  him,  but  to 
present  his  peculiar  character  exactly  as  it  was.  I 
have  therefore  been  constrained  to  insert  some 
things  which  I  would  gladly  have  omitted. 

JOHN  S.  C.  ABBOTT. 

FAIR  HAVEN,  CONN. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
Parentage  and  Childhood. 

PAGE 

The  Emigrant.  —  Crossing  the  Alleghanies.  —  The  Boundless 
Wilderness.— The  Hut  on  the  Holston.  —  Life's  Neces- 
saries.—The  Massacre.— Birth  of  David  Crockett.— Peril 
of  the  Boys. — Anecdote. — Removal  to  Greenville  ;  to  Cove 
Creek.  —  Increased  Emigration. — Loss  of  the  Mill. — The 
Tavern. — Engagement  with  the  Drover. — Adventures  in  the 
.  Wilderness. — Virtual  Captivity.— The  Escape.— The  Re- 
turn.— The  Runaway. — New  Adventures 7 

'      CHAPTER   II. 
Youthful  Adventures. 

David  at  Gerardstown. — Trip  to  Baltimore. — Anecdotes. — He 
ships  for  London.  —  Disappointment. — Defrauded  of  his 
Wages. — Escapes. — New  Adventures. — Crossing  the  River. 
— Returns  Home. — His  Reception. — A  Farm  Laborer. — 
Generosity  to  his  Father. — Love  Adventure. — The  Wreck 
of  his  Hopes.  —  His  School  Education.  —  Second  Love 
Adventure. —  Bitter  Disappointment. —  Life  in  the  Back- 
woods.— Third  Love  Adventure. 35 

CHAPTER    III. 
Marriage  and  Settlement. 

Rustic  Courtship. — The  Rival  Lover. — Romantic  Incident. — 
The  Purchase  of  a  Horse.— The  Wedding.— Singular  Cere- 
monies.— The  Termagant. — Bridal  Days. — They  commence 
Housekeeping. — The  Bridal  Mansion  and  Outfit. — Family 


VI  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Possessions. — The  Removal  to  Central  Tennessee. — Mode 
of  Transportation. — The  New  Home  and  its  Surroundings. 
— Busy  Idleness.— The  Third  Move.— The  Massacre  at 
Fort  Mimms. 64 

CHAPTER   IV. 
The  Soldier  Life. 

War  with  the  Creeks. — Patriotism  of^Crockett. — Remonstrances 
of  his  Wife. — Enlistment. —  The  Rendezvous. — Adventure 
of  the  Scouts. — Friendly  Indians. — A  March  through  the 
Forest. — Picturesque  Scene. — The  Midnight  Alarm. — March 
by  Moonlight.  —  Chagrin  of  Crockett.  —  Advance  into 
Alabama. — War's  Desolations. — Indian  Stoicism.  —  Anec- 
dotes of  Andrew  Jackson. — Battles,  Carnage,  and  Woe.  .  93 

CHAPTER   V. 
Indian    Warfare. 

The  Army  at  Fort  Strother.— Crockett's  Regiment.— Crockett  at 
Home.  —  His  Reenlistment. — Jackson  Surprised. — Military 
Ability  of  the  Indians. — Humiliation  of  the  Creeks. — March 
to  Florida. — Affairs  at  Pensacola. — Capture  of  the  City. — 
Characteristics  of  Crockett. — The  Weary  March. — Inglorious 
Expedition. — Murder  of  Two  Indians. — Adventures  at  the 
Island.  —  The  Continued  March. — Severe  Sufferings. — 
Charge  upon  the  Uninhabited  Village.  ....  124 

CHAPTER   VI. 
The  Camp  and  the  Cabin. 

Deplorable  Condition  of  the  Army.  —  Its  Wanderings.  — 
Crockett's  Benevolence. — Cruel  Treatment  of  the  Indians. 
•  — A  Gleam  of  Good  Luck. — The  Joyful  Feast. — Crockett's 
Trade  with  the  Indian.— Visit  to  the  Old  Battle-field.— Bold 
Adventure  of  Crockett. — His  Arrival  Home. — -Death  of  his 
Wife. — Second  Marriage. — Restlessness. — Exploring  Tour. 
— Wild  Adventures. — Dangerous  Sickness. — Removal  to  the 
West— His  New  Home.  . 155 


CONTENTS.  Vil 


CHAPTER  VII. 
The  Justice  of  Peace  and  the  Legislator. 

PACK 

Vagabondage. — Measures  of  Protection. — Measures  of  Govern- 
ment.— Crockett's  Confession. — A  Candidate  for  Military 
Honors. — Curious  Display  of  Moral  Courage. — The  Squirrel 
Hunt. — A  Candidate  for  the  Legislature.  —  Characteristic 
Electioneering. — Specimens  of  his  Eloquence. — Great  Pecu- 
niary Calamity.  —  Expedition  to  the  Far  West.  —  Wild 
Adventures. — The  Midnight  Carouse. — A  Cabin  Reared.  .  183 

CHAPTER   VIII. 
Life  on  the  Obion. 

Hunting  Adventures. — The  Voyage  up  the  River. — Scenes  in 
the  Cabin. —  Return  Home. — Removal  of  the  Family. —  ~ 
Crockett's  Riches. — A  Perilous  Enterprise. — Reasons  for  his 
Celebrity. — Crockett's  Narrative. — A  Bear-Hunt. — Visit  to 
Jackson. — Again  a  Candidate  for  the  Legislature. — Elec- 
tioneering and  Election.  .......  212 

CHAPTER   IX. 
Adventures  in  the  Forest,  on  the  River,  and  in  the  City. 

The  Bear  Hunter's  Story. — Service  in  the  Legislature. — Candi- 
date for  Congress. — Electioneering. — The  New  Speculation. 
— Disastrous  Voyage. — Narrow  Escape.^-New  Electioneer- 
ing Exploits.— Odd  Speeches.  —  The  Visit  to  Crockett's 
Cabin. — His  Political  Views. — His  Honesty. — Opposition  to 
Jackson.— Scene  at  Raleigh. — Dines  with  the  President. — 
Gross  Caricature. — His  Annoyance.  .....  240 

CHAPTER   X. 
Crockett's  Tour  to  the  North  and  the  East. 

His  Reelection  to  Congress. — The  Northern  Tour. — First  Sight 
of  a  Railroad.  —  Reception  in  Philadelphia.  —  His  First 
Speech.— Arrival  in  New  York.— The  Ovation  there.— Visit 


Viii  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

to  Boston.  —  Cambridge  and  Lowell.  —  Specimens  of  his 
Speeches. — Expansion  of  his  Ideas. — Rapid  Improvement  .  267 

CHAPTER   XI. 
The  Disappointed  Politician. — Off  for  Texas. 

Triumphal  Return. — Home  Charms  Vanish. — Loses  His  Elec- 
tion.— Bitter  Disappointment. — Crockett's  Poetry. — Sets  out 
for  Texas. — Incidents  of  the  Journey. — Reception  at  Little 
Rock.— The  Shooting  Match.— Meeting  a  Clergyman.— The 
Juggler. — Crockett  a  Reformer. — The  Bee  Hunter. — The 
Rough  Strangers. — Scene  on  the  Prairie 290 

CHAPTER   XII. 
Adventures  on  the  Prairie. 

Disappearance  of  the  Bee  Hunter. — The  Herd  of  Buffaloes. — 
Crockett  lost. — The  Fight  with  the  Cougar. — Approach  of 
Savages. — Their  Friendliness. — Picnic  on  the  Prairie. — Pic- 
turesque Scene.  —  The  Lost  Mustang  recovered. —  Unex- 
pected Reunion. — Departure  of  the  Savages. — Skirmish  with 
the  Mexicans. — Arrival  at  the  Alamo.  ....  312 

CHAPTER   XIII. 
Conclusion. 

The  Fortress  of  Alamo.  —  Colonel  Bowie.  —  Bombardment  of 
the  Fort. — Crockett's  Journal. — Sharpshooting. — Fight  out- 
side of  the  Fort. — Death  of  the  Bee  Hunter. — Kate  of 
Nacogdoches. — Assault  on  the  Citadel. — Crockett  a  Pris- 
oner.— His  Death 340 


DAVID   CROCKETT. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Parentage  and  CJiildJwod. 

The  Emigrant. — Crossing  the  Alleghanies. — The  boundless  Wilder- 
ness.— The  Hut  on  the  Holston. — Life's  Necessaries. — The 
Massacre. — Birth  of  David  Crockett. — Peril  of  the  Boys. — 
Anecdote. — Removal  to  Greenville  ;  to  Cove  Creek. — Increased 
Emigration. — Loss  of  the  Mill. — The  Tavern. — Engagement 
with  the  Drover.-^Adventures  in  the  Wilderness.-^— Virtual  Cap- 
tivity.—The  Escape.— The  Return.— The  Runaway.— New  Ad- 
yentures. 

A  LITTLE  more  than  a  hundred  years  ago,  a  poor 
man,  by  the  name  of  Crockett,  embarked  on  board 
an  emigrant-ship,  in  Ireland,  for  the  New  World. 
He  was  in  the  humblest  station  in  life.  But  very- 
little  is  known  respecting  his  uneventful  career, 
excepting  its  tragical  close.  His  family  consisted  of 
a  wife  and  three  or  four  children.  Just  before  he 
sailed,  or  on  the  Atlantic  passage,  a  son  was  born,  to 


8  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

whom  he  gave  the  name  of  John.  The  family 
probably  landed  in  Philadelphia,  and  dwelt  some- 
where in  Pennsylvania,  for  a  year  or  two,  in  one  of 
those  slab  shanties,  with  which  all  are  familiar  as 
the  abodes  of  the  poorest  class  of  Irish  emigrants. 

After  a  year  or  two,  Crockett,  with  his  little 
family,  crossed  the  almost  pathless  Alleghanies. 
Father,  mother,  and  children  trudged  along  through 
the  rugged  defiles  and  over  the  rocky  cliffs,  on  foot. 
Probably  a  single  pack-horse  conveyed  their  few 
household  goods.  The  hatchet  and  the  rifle  were 
the  only  means  of  obtaining  food,  shelter,  and  even 
clothing.  With  the  hatchet,  in  an  hour  or  two,  a 
comfortable  camp  could  be  constructed,  which  would 
protect  them  from  wind  and  rain.  The  camp-fire, 
cheering  the  darkness  of  the  night,  drying  their 
often  wet  garments,  and  warming  their  chilled 
limbs  with  its  genial  glow,  enabled  them  to  enjoy 
that  almost  greatest  of  earthly  luxuries,  peaceful 
sleep. 

The  rifle  supplied  them  with  food.  The  fattest 
of  turkeys  and  the  most  tender  steaks  of  venison, 
roasted  upon  forked  sticks,  which  they  held  in  their 
hands  over  the  coals,  feasted  their  voracious  appe- 
tites. This,  to  them,  was  almost  sumptuous  food. 
The  skin  of  the  deer,  by  a  rapid  and  simple  pro- 
cess of  tanning,  supplied  them  with  moccasons,  and 


PARENTAGE  AND   CHILDHOOD.  9 

afforded  material  for  the  repair  of  their  tattered 
garments. 

We  can  scarcely  comprehend  the  motive  which 
led  this  solitary  family  to  push  on,  league  after 
league,  farther  and  farther  from  civilization,  through 
the  trackless  forests.  At  length  they  reached  the 
Holston  River.  This  stream  takes  its  rise  among 
the  western  ravines  of  the  Alleghanies,  in  South- 
western Virginia.  Flowing  hundreds  of  miles 
through  one  of  the  most  solitary  and  romantic 
regions  upon  the  globe,  it  finally  unites  with  the 
Clinch  River,  thus  forming  the  majestic  Tennessee. 

One  hundred  years  ago,  this  whole  region,  west 
of  the  Alleghanies,  was  an  unexplored  and  an 
unknown  wilderness.  Its  silent  rivers,  its  forests, 
and  its  prairies  were  crowded  with  game.  Countless 
Indian  tribes,  whose  names  even  had  never  been 
heard  east  of  the  Alleghanies,  ranged  this  vast 
expanse,  pursuing,  in  the  chase,  wild  beasts  scarcely 
more  savage  than  themselves. 

The  origin  of  these  Indian  tribes  and  their  past 
history  are  lost  in  oblivion.  Centuries  have  come 
and  gone,  during  which  joys  and  griefs,  of  which  we 
now  can  know  nothing,  visited  their  humble  lodges. 
Providence  seems  to  have  raised  up  a  peculiar  class 
of  men,  among  the  descendants  of  'the  emigrants 
from  the  Old  World,  who,  weary  of  the  restraints  of 
i* 


IO  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

civilization,  were  ever  ready  to  plunge  into  the 
wildest  depths  of  the  wilderness,  and  to  rear  their 
lonely  huts  in  the  midst  of  all  its  perils,  privations, 
and  hardships. 

This  solitary  family  of  the  Crocketts  followed 
down  the  northwestern  banks  of  the  Hawkins  River 
for  many  a  weary  mile,  until  they  came  to  a  spot 
which  struck  their  fancy  as  a  suitable  place  to  build 
their  Cabin.  In  subsequent  years  a  small  village 
called  Rogersville  was  gradually  reared  upon  this 
spot,  and  the  territory  immediately  around  was 
organized  into  what  is  now  known  as  Hawkins 
County.  But  then,  for  leagues  in  every  direction, 
the  solemn  forest  stood  in  all  its  grandeur.  Here 
Mr.  Crockett,  alone  and  unaided  save  by  his  wife 
and  children,  constructed  a  little  shanty,  which  could 
have  been  but  little  more  than  a  hunter's  camp. 
He  could  not  lift  solid  logs  to  build  a  substantial 
house.  The  hard-trodden  ground  was  the  only  floor 
of  the  single  room  which  he  enclosed.  It  was  roofed 
•with  bark  of  trees  piled  heavily  on,  which  afforded 
quite  effectual  protection  from  the  rain.  A  hole 
cut  through  the  slender  logs  was  the  only  window. 
A  fire  was  built  in  one  corner,  and  the  smoke  eddied 
through  a  hole  left  in  the  roof.  The  skins  of  bears, 
buffaloes,  and  Wolves  provided  couches,  all  sufficient 
for  weary  ones,  who  needed  no  artificial  ppiate  to 


PARENTAGE   AND   CHILDHOOD.  II 

promote  sleep.  Such,  in  general,  were  the  primitive 
homes  of  many  of  those  bold  emigrants  who  aban- 
doned the  comforts  of  civilized  life  for  the  solitudes 
of  the  wilderness.- 

They  did  not  want  for  most  of  what  are  called 
the  necessaries  of  life.  The  river  and  the  f6rest 
furnished  a  great  variety  of  fish  and  game.  Their 
hut,  humble  as  it  was,  effectually  protected  them 
from  the  deluging  tempest  and  the  inclement  cold. 
The  climate  was  genial  in  a  very  high  degree,  and 
the  soil,  in  its  wonderful  fertility,  abundantly  sup- 
plied them  with  corn  and  other  simple  vegetables. 
But  the  silence  and  solitude  which  reigned  are 
represented,  by  those  who  experienced  them,  as 
at  times  something  dreadful. 

One  principal  motive  which  led  these  people  to 
cross  the  mountains,  was  the  prospect  of  an  ultimate 
fortune  in  the  rise  of  land.  Every  man  who  built  a 
cabin  and  raised  a  crop  of  grain,  however  small,  was 
entitled  to  four  -hundred  acres  of  land,  and  a  pre- 
emption right  to  one  thousand  more  adjoining,  to 
be  secured  by  a  land-office  warrant. 

In  this  lonely  home,  Mr.  Crockett,  with  his  wife 
and  children,  dwelt  for  some  months,  perhaps  years 
— we  know  not  how  long.  One  night,  the  awful  yell 
of  the  savage  was  heard,  and  a  band  of  human 
demons  came  rushing  upon  the  defenceless  family. 


12  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

Imagination  cannot  paint  the  tragedy  which  ensued. 
Though  this  lost  world,  ever  since  the  fall  of  Adam, 
has  been  rilled  to  repletion  with  these  scenes  of  woe, 
it  causes  one's  blood  to  curdle  in  his  veins  as  he 
contemplates  this  one  deed  of  cruelty  and  blood. 

The  howling  fiends  were  expeditious  in  their 
work.  The  father  and  mother  were  pierced  by 
arrows,  mangled  with  the  tomahawk,  and  scalped. 
One  son,  severely  wounded,  escaped  into  the  forest. 
Another  little  boy,  who  was  deaf  and  dumb,  was 
taken  captive  and  carried  by  the  Indians  to  their 
distant  tribe,  where  he  remained,  adopted  into  the 
tribe,  for  about  eighteen  years.  He  was  then 
discovered  by  some  of  his  relatives,  and  was  pur- 
chased back  at  a  considerable  ransom.  The  torch 
was  applied  to  the  cabin,  and  the  bodies  of  the  dead 
were  consumed  in  the  crackling  flames. 

What  became  of  the  remainder  of  the  children, 
if  there  were  any  others  present  in  this  midnight 
scene  of  conflagration  and  blood,  we  know  not. 
There  was  no  reporter  to  give  us  the  details.  We 
simply  know  that  in  some  way  John  Crockett,  who 
subsequently  became  the  father  of  that  David 
whose  history  we  now  write,  was  not  involved  in  the 
general  massacre.  It  is  probable  that  he  was  not 
then  with  the  family,  but  that  he  was  a  hired  boy 
of  all  work  in  some  farmer's  family  in  Pennsylvania. 


PARENTAGE  AND   CHILDHOOD.  13 

As  a  day-laborer  he  grew  up  to  manhood,  and 
married  a  woman  in  his  own  sphere  of  life,  by  the 
name  of  Mary  Hawkins.  He  enlisted  as  a  common 
soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War,,  and  took  part  in 
the  battle  of  King's  Mountain.  At  the  close  of  the 
war  he  reared  a  humble  cabin  in  the  frontier  wilds  of 
North  Carolina.  There  he  lived  for  a  few  years,  at 
but  one  remove,  in  point  of  civilization,  from  the  sav- 
ages around  him.  It  is  not  probable  that  either  he  or 
his  wife  could  read  or  write.  It  is  not  probable  that 
they  had  any  religious  thoughts ;  that  their  minds 
ever  wandered  into  the  regions  of  that  mysterious 
immortality  which  reaches  out  beyond  the  grave. 
Theirs  was  apparently  purely  an  animal  existence, 
like  that  of  the  Indian,  almost  like  that  of  the  wild 
animals  they  pursued  in  the  chase. 

At  length,  John  Crockett,  with  his  wife  and  three 
or  four  children,  unintimidated  by  the  awful  fate  of 
his  father's  family,  wandered  from  North  Carolina, 
through  the  long  and  dreary  defiles  of  the  moun- 
tains, to  the  sunny  valleys  and  the  transparent  skies 
of  East  Tennessee.  It  was  about  the  year  1783. 
Here  he  came  to  a  rivulet  of  crystal  water,  winding 
through  majestic  forests  and  plains  of  luxuriant 
verdure.  Upon  a  green  mound,  with  this  stream 
flowing  near  his  door,  John  Crockett  built  his  rude 
and  floorless  hut.  Punching  holes  in  the  soil  with 


14  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

a  stick,  he  dropped  in  kernels  of  corn,  and  obtained 
a  far  richer  harvest  than  it  would  be  supposed  such 
culture  could  produce.  As  we  have  mentioned, 
the  building  of  this  hut  and  the  planting  of  this 
crop  made  poor  John  Crockett  the  proprietor  of 
four  hundred  acres  of  land  of  almost  inexhaustible 
fertility. 

In  this  lonely  cabin,  far  away  in  the  wilderness, 
David  Crockett  was  born,  on  the  I7th  of  August, 
1786.  He  had  then  four  brothers.  Subsequently 
four  other  children  were  added  to  the  family-. 

His  childhood's  home  was  more  humble  than 
the  majority  of  the  readers  of  this  volume  can 
imagine.  It  was  destitute  of  everything  which,  in 
a  higher  state  of  civilization,  is  deemed  essential  to 
comfort.  The  wigwam  of  the  Indian  afforded  as 
much  protection  from  the  weather,  and  was  as  well 
furnished,  as  the  cabin  of  logs  and  bark  which 
sheltered  his  father's  family.  It  would  seem,  from 
David  Crockett's  autobiography,  that  in  his  child- 
hood he  went  mainly  without  any  clothing,  like  the 
pappooses  of  an  Indian  squaw.  These  facts  of  his 
early  life  must  be  known,  that  we  may  understand 
the  circumstances  by  which  his  peculiar  character 
was  formed. 

He  had  no  instruction  whatever  in  religion, 
morals,  manners,  or  mental  culture.  It  cannot  be 


PARENTAGE  AND   CHILDHOOD.  15 

supposed  that  his  illiterate  parents  were  very  gentle 
in  their  domestic  discipline,  or  that  their  example 
could  have  been  of  any  essential  advantage  in  pre- 
paring him  for  the  arduous  struggle  of  life.  It 
would  be  difficult  to  find  any  human  being,  in  a 
civilized  land,  who  can  have  enjoyed  less  opportuni- 
ties for  moral  culture  than  David  Crockett  enjoyed 
in  his  early  years. 

There  was  quite  a  fall  on  the  Nolachucky  River, 
a  little  below  the  cabin  of  John  Crockett.  Here 
the  water  rushed  foaming  over  the  rocks,  with  fury 
which  would  at  once  swamp  any  canoe.  When 
David  was  four  or  five  years  old,  and  several  other 
emigrants  had  come  and  reared  their  cabins  in  that 
v'cinity,  he  was  one  morning  out  playing  with  his 
brothers  on  the  bank  of  the  river.  There  was  a 
canoe  tied  to  the  shore.  The  boys  got  into  it,  and, 
to  amuse  themselves,  pushed  out  into  the  stream, 
leaving  little  David,  greatly  to  his  indignation,  on 
the  shore. 

But  the  boys  did  not  know  how  to  manage  the 
canoe,  and  though  they  plied  the  paddles  with  all 
vigor,  they  soon  found  themselves  caught  in  the 
current,  and  floating  rapidly  down  toward  the  falls, 
where,  should  they  be  swept  over,  the  death  of  all 
was  inevitable. 

A  man  chanced  to  be  working  in  a  field  not  far 


1 6  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

distant.  He  heard  the  cries  of  the  boys  and  saw 
their  danger.  There  was  not  a  moment  to  be  lost. 
He  started  upon  the  full  run,  throwing  off  coat  and 
waistcoat  and  shoes,  in  his  almost  frantic  speed,  till 
he  reached  the  water.  He  then  plunged  in,  and,  by 
swimming  and  wading,  seized  the  canoe  when  it  was 
within  but  about  twenty  feet  of  the  roaring  falls. 
With  almost  superhuman  exertions  he  succeeded  in 
dragging  it  to  the  shore. 

This  event  David  Crockett  has  mentioned  as  the 
first  which  left  any  lasting  imprint  upon  his  memory. 
Not  long  after  this,  another  occurrence  took  place 
characteristic  of  frontier  life.  Joseph  Hawkins,  a 
brother  of  David's  mother,  crossed  the  mountains 
and  joined  the  Crockett  family  in  their  forest  home. 
One  morning  he  went  out  to  shoot  a  deer,  repairing 
to  a  portion  of  the  forest  much  frequented  by  this 
animal.  As  he  passed  a  very  dense  thicket,  he  saw 
the  boughs  swaying  to  and  fro,  where  a  deer  was 
apparently  browsing.  Very  cautiously  he  crept 
within  rifle-shot,  occasionally  catching  a  glimpse, 
through  the  thick  foliage,  of  the  ear  of  the  animal, 
as  he  supposed. 

Taking  deliberate  aim  he  fired,  and  immediately 
heard  a  loud  outcry.  Rushing  to  the  spot,  he  found 
that  he  had  shot  a  neighbor,  who  was  there  gather- 
ing grapes.  The  ball  passed  through  his  side, 


PARENTAGE  AND   CHILDHOOD.  I/ 

inflicting  a  very  serious  though  not  a  fatal  wound, 
as  it  chanced  not  to  strike  any  vital  part.  The 
wounded  man  was  carried  home ;  and  the  rude 
surgery  which  was  practised  upon  him  was  to  insert 
a  silk  handkerchief  with  a  ramrod  in  at  the  bullet- 
hole,  and  draw  it  through  his  body.  He  recovered 
from  the  wound. 

Such  a  man  as  John  Crockett  forms  no  local 
attachments,  and  never  remains  long  in  one  place. 
Probably  some  one  came  to  his  region  and  offered 
him  a  few  dollars  for  his  improvements.  He  aban- 
doned his  cabin,  with  its  growing  neighborhood, 
and  packing  his  few  household  goods  upon  one  or 
two  horses,  pushed  back  fifty  miles  farther  southwest, 
into  the  trackless  wilderness.  Here  he  found,  about 
ten  miles  above  the  present  site  of  Greenville,  a 
fertile  and  beautiful  region.  Upon  the  banks  of  a 
little  brook,  which  furnished  him  with  an  abundant 
supply  of  pure  water,  he  reared  another  shanty,  and 
took  possession  of  another  four  hundred  acres  of 
forest  land.  Some  of  his  boys  were  now  old  enough 
to  furnish  efficient  help  in  the  field  and  in  the  chase. 

How  long  John  Crockett  remained  here  we  know 
not.  Neither  do  we  know  what  induced  him  to 
make  another  move.  But  we  soon  find  him  push- 
ing still  farther  back  into  the  wilderness,  with  his 
hapless  family  of  sons  and  daughters,  dooming  them, 


I  8  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

in  all  their  ignorance,  to  the  society  only  of  bears 
and  wolves.  He  now  established  himself  upon  a 
considerable  stream,  unknown  to  geography,  called 
Cove  Creek. 

David  Crockett  was  now  about  eight  years  old. 
During  these  years  emigration  had  been  rapidly 
flowing  from  the  Atlantic  States  into  this  vast  and 
beautiful  valley  south  of  the  Ohio.  With  the 
increasing  emigration  came  an  increasing  demand 
for  the  comforts  of  civilization.  Framed  houses 
began  to  rise  here  and  there,  and  lumber,  in  its 
various  forms,  was  needed. 

John  Crockett,  with  another  man  by  the  name  of 
Thomas  Galbraith,  undertook  to  build  a  mill  upon 
Cove  Creek.  They  had  nearly  completed  it,  having 
expended  all  their  slender  means  in  its  construction, 
when  there  came  a  terrible  freshet,  and  all  their 
works  were  swept  away.  The  flood  even  inundated 
Crockett's  cabin,  and  the  family  was  compelled  to 
fly  to  a  neighboring  eminence  for  safety. 

Disheartened  by  this  calamity,  John  Crockett 
made  another  '  move.  Knoxville,  on  the  Holston 
River,  had  by  this  time  become  quite  a  thriving  little 
settlement  of  log  huts.  The  main  route  of  emigra- 
tion was  across  the  mountains  to  Abingdon,  in  South- 
western Virginia,  and  then  by  an  extremeJy  rough 
forest-road  across  the  country  to  the  valley  of  the 


PARENTAGE   AND   CHILDHOOD.  19 

Holston,  and  down  that  valley  to  Knoxville.  This 
route  was  mainly  traversed  by  pack-horses  and  emi- 
grants on  foot.  But  stout  wagons,  with  great  labor, 
could  be  driven  through. 

John  Crockett  moved  still  westward  to  this  Hol- 
ston valley,  where  he  reared  a  pretty  large  log  house 
on  this  forest  road ;  and  opened  what  he  called  a 
tavern  for  the  entertainment  of  teamsters  and  othejr 
emigrants.  It  was  indeed  a  rude  resting  place. 
But  in  a  fierce  storm  the*  exhausted  animals  could 
find  a  partial  shelter  beneath  a  shed  of  logs,  with 
corn  to  eat ;  and  the  hardy  pioneers  could  sleep  on 
bearskins,  with  their  feet  perhaps  soaked  with  rain, 
feeling  the  warmth  of  the  cabin  fire.  The  rifle  oi 
John  Crockett  supplied  his  guests  with  the  choicest 
venison  steaks,  and  his  wife  baked  in  the  ashes  the 
"journey  cake,"  since  called  johnny  cake,  made  oi 
meal  from  corn  pounded  in  a  mortar  or  ground  in 
a  hand-mill.  The  brilliant  flame  of  the  pitch-pine 
knot  illumined  the  cabin  ;  and  around  the  fire  these 
hardy  men  often  kept  wakeful  until  midnight, 
smoking  their  pipes,  telling  their  stories,  and  singing 
their  songs. 

This  house  stood  alone  in  the  forest.  Often  the 
silence  of  the  night  was  disturbed  by  the  ciy  of 
the  grizzly  bear  and  the  howling  of  wolves.  Here 
David  remained  four  years,  aiding  his  father  in  all 


20  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

the  laborious  work  of  clearing  the  land  and  tending 
the  cattle.  There  was  of  course  no  school  here,  and 
the  boy  grew  up  in  entire  ignorance  of  all  book 
learning.  But  in  these  early  years  he  often  went 
into  the  woods  with  his  gun  in  pursuit  of  game,  and, 
young  as  he  was,  acquired  considerable  reputation 
as  a  marksman. 

One  day,  a  Dutchman  by  the  name  of  Jacob 
Siler  came  to  the  cabin,  driving  a  large  herd  of 
cattle.  He  had  gathered  them  farther,  west,  from 
the  luxuriant  pastures  in  the  vicinity  of  Knoxville, 
where  cattle  multiplied  with  marvellous  rapidity,  and 
was  taking  them  back  to  market  in  Virginia.  The 
drover  found  some  difficulty  in  managing  so  many 
half  wild  cattle,  as  he  pressed  them  forward  through 
the  wilderness,  and  he  bargained  with  John  Crock- 
ett to  let  his  son  David,  who,  as  we  have  said,  was 
then  twelve  years  of  age,  go  with  him  as  his  hired 
help.  Whatever  wages  he  gave  was  paid  to  the 
father. 

The  boy  was  to  go  on  foot  with  this  Dutchman 
four  hundred  miles,  driving  the  cattle.  This  trans- 
action shows  very  clearly  the  hard  and  unfeeling 
character  of  David's  parents.  When  he  reached 
the  end  of  his  journey,  so  many  weary  leagues  from 
home,  the  only  way  by  which  he  could  return  was 
to  attach  himself  to  some  emigrant  party,  or  sor  f. 


PARENTAGE  AND   CHILDHOOD.  21 

company  of  teamsters,  and  walk  back,  paying  for 
such  food  as  he  might  consume,  by  the  assistance 
he  could  render  on  the  way.  There  are  few  parents 
who  could  thus  have  treated  a  child  of  twelve  years. 

The  little  fellow,  whose  affections  had  never 
been  more  cultivated  than  those  of  the  whelp  of 
the  wolf  or  the  cub  of  the  bear,  still  left  home,  as 
he  tells  us,  with  a  heavy  heart.  The  Dutchman 
was  an  entire  stranger  to  him,  and  he  knew  not  what 
treatment  he  was  to  expect  at  his  hands.  He  had 
already  experienced  enough  of  forest  travel  to  know 
its  hardships.  A  journey  of  four  hundred  miles 
seemed  to  him  like  going  to  the  uttermost  parts  of 
the  earth.  As  the  pioneers  had  smoked  their  pipes 
at  his  father's  cabin  fire,  he  had  heard  many  appal- 
ling accounts  of  bloody  conflicts  with  the  Indians, 
of  massacres,  scalpings,  tortures,  and  captivity. 

David '-s  father  had  taught  him,  very  sternly,  one 
lesson,  and  that  was  implicit  and  prompt  obedience 
to  his  demands.  The  boy  knew  full  well  that  it 
would  be  of  no  avail  for  him  to  make  any  remon- 
strance. Silently,  and  trying  to  conceal  his  tears, 
he  set  out  on  the  perilous  enterprise.  The  cattle 
could  be  driven  but  about  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  a 
day.  Between  twenty  and  thirty  days  were  occu- 
pied in  the  toilsome  and  perilous  journey.  The 
route  led  them  often  through  marshy  ground,  where 


22  DAVID  CROCKETT. 

the  mire  was  trampled  knee-deep.  All  the  streams 
had  to  be  forded.  At  times,  swollen  by  the  rains, 
they  were  very  deep.  There  were  frequent  days  of 
storm,  when,  through  the  long  hours,  the  poor  boy 
trudged  onward,  drenched  with  rain  and  shivering 
with  cold.  Their  fare  was  most  meagre,  consisting 
almost  entirely  of  such  game  as  they  chanced  to 
shoot,  which  they  roasted  on  forked  sticks  before 
the  fire. 

When  night  came,  often  dark  and  stormy,  the  cat- 
tle were  generally  too  much  fatigued  by  their  long 
tramp  to  stray  away.  Some  instinct  also  induced 
them  to  cluster  together.  A  rude  shanty  was 
thrown  up.  Often  everything  was  so  soaked  with 
rain  that  it  was  impossible  to  build  a  fire.  The 
poor  boy,  weary  and  supperless,  spattered  with  mud 
and  drenched  with  rain,  threw  himself  upon  the 
wet  ground  for  that  blessed  sleep  in  which  the 
weary  forget  their  woes.  Happy  was  he  if  he  could 
induce  one  of  the  shaggy  dogs  to  lie  down  by  his 
side,  that  he  might  hug  the  faithful  animal  in  his 
arms,  and  thus  obtain  a  little  warmth. 

Great  was  the  luxury  when,  at  the  close  of  a 
toilsome  day,  a  few  pieces  of  bark  could  be  so  piled 
as  to  protect  from  wind  and  rain,  and  a  roaring 
fire  could  blaze  and  crackle  before  the  little  camp. 
Then  the  appetite  which  hunger  gives  would  enable 


PARENTAGE  AND   CHILDHOOD.  23 

him  to  feast  upon  the  tender  cuts  of  venis&n 
broiled  upon  the  coals,  with  more  satisfaction  than 
the  gourmand  takes  in  the  choicest  viands  of  the 
restaurant.  Having  feasted  to  satiety,  he  would 
stretch  himself  upon  the  ground,  with  his  feet  to 
the  fire,  and  soon  be  lost  to  all  earth's  cares,  in 
sweet  oblivion. 

The  journey  was  safely  accomplished.  The 
Dutchman  had  a  father-in-law,  by  the  name  of 
Hartley,  who  lived  in  Virginia,  having  reared  his 
cabin  within  about  three  miles  of  the  Natural 
Bridge.  Here  the  boy's  contract  came  to  an  end. 
It  would  seem  that  the  Dutchman  was  a  good  sort 
of  man,  as  the  world  goes,  and  that  he  treated  the 
boy  kindly.  He  was  so  well  pleased  with  David's 
energy  and  fidelity,  that  he  was  inclined  to  retain 
him  in  his  service.  Seeing  the  boy's  anxiety  to 
return  home,  he  was  disposed  to  throw  around  him 
invisible  chains,  and  to  hold  him  a  captive.  He 
thus  threw  every  possible  hindrance  in  the  way  of 
his  return,  offered  to  hire  him  as  his  boy  of  all  work, 
and  made  him  a  present  of  five  or  six  dollars,  which 
perhaps  he  considered  payment  in  advance,  which 
bound  the  boy  to  remain  with  him  until  he  had 
worked  it  out. 

David  soon  perceived  that  his  movements  were 
watched,  and  that  he  was  not  his  own  master  to  go 


24  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

or  stay  as  he  pleased.  This  increased  his  restless- 
ness. Four  or  five  weeks  thus  passed  away,  when, 
one  morning,  three  wagons  laden  with  merchandise 
came  along,  bound  to  Knoxville.  They  were  driven 
by  an  old  man  by  the  name  of  Dunn,  and  his  two 
stalwart  sons.  They  had  traversed  the  road  before, 
and  David  had  seen  the  old  man  at  his  father's 
tavern.  Secretly  the  shrewd  boy  revealed  to  him 
his  situation,  and  his  desire  to  get  back  to  his  home. 
The  father  and  sons  conferred  together  upon  the 
subject.  They  were  moved  with  sympathy  for  the 
boy,  and,  after  due  deliberation,  told  him  that  they 
should  stop  for  the  night  about  seven  miles  from 
that  place,  and  should  set  out  again  on  their  jour- 
ney with  the  earliest  light  of  the  morning ;  and  that 
if  he  could  get  to  them  before  daylight,  he  might 
follow  their  wagons. 

It  was  Sunday  morning,  and  it  so  happened  that 
the  Dutchman  and  the  family  had  gone  away  on  a 
visit.  David  collected  his  clothes  and  the  little 
money  he  had,  and  hid  them  in  a  bundle  under  his 
bed.  A  very  small  bundle  held  them  all.  The 
family  returned,  and,  suspecting  nothing,  all  retired 
to  sleep. 

David  had  naturally  a  very  affectionate  heart. 
He  never  had  been  from  home  before.  His  lone- 
ly situation  roused  all  the  slumbering'  emotions 


PARENTAGE  AND    CHILDHOOD.  2$ 

of  his  childhood.  In  describing  this  event,  he 
writes : 

"  I  went  to  bed  early  that  night,  but  sleep 
seemed  to  be  a  stranger  to  me.  For  though  I  was 
a  wild  boy,  yet  I  dearly  loved  my  father  and  mother ; 
and  their  images  appeared  to  be  so  deeply  fixed  in 
my  mind  that  I  could  not  sleep  for  thinking  of 
them.  And  then  the  fear  that  when  I  should 
attempt  to  go  out  I  should  be  discovered  and  called 
to  a  halt,  filled  me  with  anxiety." 

A  little  after  midnight,  when  the  family  were  in 
profoundest  sleep,  David  cautiously  rose,  and  taking 
his  little  bundle,  crept  out  doors.  To  his  disap- 
pointment he  found  that  it  was  snowing  fast,  eight 
inches  having  already  fallen ;  and  the  wintry  gale 
moaned  dismally  through  the  treetops.  It  was  a 
dark,  moonless  night.  The  cabin  was  in  the  fields, 
half  a  mile  from  the  road  along  which  the  wagons 
had  passed.  This  boy  of  twelve  years,  alone  in  the 
darkness,  was  to  breast  the  gale  and  wade  through 
the  snow,  amid  forest  glooms,  a  distance  of  seven 
miles,  before  he  could  reach  the  appointed  rendez- 
vous. 

For  a  moment  his  heart  sank  within  him.  Then 
recovering  his  resolution,  he  pushed  out  boldly  into 
the  storm.  For  three  hours  he  toiled  along,  the 
snow  rapidly  increasing  in  depth  until  it  reached  up 


26  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

to  his  knees.  Just  before  the  dawn  of  the  morning 
he  reached  the  wagons.  The  men  were  up,  harness- 
ing their  teams.  The  Dunns  were  astounded  at  the 
appearance  of  the  little  boy  amid  the  darkness  and 
the  tempest.  They  took  him  into  the  house, 
warmed  him  by  the  fire,  and  gave  him  a  good 
breakfast,  speaking  to  him  words  of  sympathy  and 
encouragement.  The  affectionate  heart  of  David 
was  deeply  moved  by  this  tenderness,  to  which  he 
was  quite  unaccustomed. 

And  then,  though  exhausted  by  the  toil  of  a 
three  hours'  wading  through  the  drifts,  he  com- 
menced, in  the  midst  of  a  mountain  storm,  a  long 
day's  journey  upon  foot.  It  was  as  much  as  the 
horses  could  do  to  drag  the  heavily  laden  wagons 
over  the  encumbered  road.  However  weary,  he 
could  not  ride.  However  exhausted,  the  wagons 
could  not  wait  for  him,;  neither  was  there  any  place 
in  the  smothering  snow  for  rest. 

Day  after  day  they  toiled  along,  in  the  endurance 
of  hardships  now  with  difficulty  comprehended. 
Sometimes  they  were  gladdened  with  -sunny  skies 
and  smooth  paths.  Again  the  clouds  would  gather, 
and  the  rain,  the  sleet,  and  the  snow  would  envelop 
them  in  glooms  truly  dismal.  Under  these  circum- 
stances the  progress  of  the  wagons  was  very  slow. 
David  was  impatient.  As  he  watched  the  sluggish 


PARENTAGE  AND   CHILDHOOD.  2/ 

turns  of  the  wheels,  he  thought  that  he  could  travel 
very  much  faster  if  he  should  push  forward  alone, 
leaving  the  wagons  behind'  him. 

At  length  he  became  so  impatient,  thoughts  of 
home  having  obtained  entire  possession  of  his  mind, 
that  he  informed  Mr.  Dunn  of  his  intention  to  press 
forward  as  fast  as  he  could.  His  elder  companions 
deemed  it  very  imprudent  for  such  a  mere  child, 
thus  alone,  to  attempt  to  traverse  the  wilderness, 
and  they  said  all  they  could  to  dissuade  him,  but  in 
vain.  He  therefore,  early  the  next  morning,  bade 
them  farewell,  and  with  light  footsteps  and  a  light 
heart  tripped  forward,  leaving  them  behind,  and 
accomplishing  nearly  as  much  in  one  day  as  the 
wagons  could  in  two.  We  are  not  furnished  with 
any  of  the  details  of  this  wonderful  journey  of  a 
solitary  child  through  ,a  wilderness  of  one  or  two 
hundred  miles.  We  know  nofchow  he  slept  at  night, 
or  how  he  obtained  food  by  day.  He  informs  us 
that  he  was  at  length  overtaken  by  a  drover,  who 
had  been  to  Virginia  with  a  herd  of  cattle,  and  was 
uertrning  to  Knoxville  riding  one  horse  and  leading 
another. 

The  man  was  amazed  in  meeting  a  mere  child 
in  such  lonely  wilds,  and  upon  hearing  his  story,  his 
kind  heart  was  touched.  David  was  a  frail  little 
fellow,  whose  weight  would  be  no  burden  for  a  horse, 


28  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

and  the  good  man  directed  him  to  mount  the 
animal  which  he  led.  The  boy  had  begun  to  be 
very  tired.  He  was  just  approaching  a  turbid 
stream,  whose  icy  waters,  reaching  almost  to  his 
neck,  he  would  have  had  to  wade  but  for  this  Provi- 
dential assistance. 

Travellers  in  the  wilderness  seldom  trot  their 
horses.  On  such  a  journey,  an  animal  who  naturally 
walks  fast  is  of  much  more  value  than  one  which 
has  attained  highspeed  upon  the  race-course.  Thus 
pleasantly  mounted,  David  and  his  kind  protector 
rode  along  together  until  they  came  within  about 
fifteen  miles  of  John  Crockett's  tavern,  where  their 
roads  diverged.  Here  David  dismounted,  and 
bidding  adieu  to  his  benefactor,  almost  ran  the 
remaining  distance,  reaching  home  that  evening. 

"  The  name  of  this  kind  gentleman,"  he  writes, 
"  I  have  forgotten ;  for  it  deserves  a  high  place  in 
my  little  book.  A  remembrance  of  his  kindness  to 
a  little  straggling  boy  has,  however,  a  resting-place 
in  my  heart,  and  there  it  will  remain  as  long  as  I 
live." 

It  was  the  spring  of  the  year  when  David  reached 
his  father's  cabin.  He  spent  a  part  of  the  summer 
there.  The  picture  which  David  gives  of  his  home 
is  revolting  in  the  extreme.  John  Crockett,  the 
tavern-keeper,  had  become  intemperate,  and  he  was 


PARENTAGE   AND   CHILDHOOD.  29 

profane  and  brutal.  But  his  son,  never  having  seen 
any  home  much  better,  does  not  seem  to  have  been 
aware  that  there  were  any  different  abodes  upon 
earth.  Of  David's  mother  we  know  nothing.  She 
was  probably  a  mere  household  drudge,  crushed  by 
an  unfeeling  husband,  without  sufficient  sensibilities 
to  have  been  aware  of  her  degraded  condition. 

Several  other  cabins  had  risen  in  the  vicinity  of 
John  Crockett's.  A  man  came  along,  by  the  name 
of  Kitchen,  who  undertook  to  open  a  school  to 
teach  the  boys  to  read.  David  went  to  school  four 
days,  but  found  it  very  difficult  to  master  his  letters. 
He  was  a  wiry  little  fellow,  very  athletic,  and  his 
nerves  seemed  made  of  steel.  When  roused  by 
anger,  he  was  as  fierce  and  reckless  as  a  catamount. 
A  boy,  much  larger  than  himself,  had  offended  him. 
David  decided  not  to  attack  him  near  the  school- 
house,  lest  the  master  might  separate  them. 

He  therefore  slipped  out  of  school,  just  before  it 
was  dismissed,  and  running  along  the  road,  hid  in  a 
thicket,  near  which  his  victim  would  have  to  pass  on 
his  way  home.  As  the  boy  came  unsuspectingly 
along,  young  Crockett,  with  the  leap  of  a  panther, 
sprang  upon  his  back.  With  tooth  and  nail  he 
assailed  him,  biting,  scratching,  pounding,  until  the 
boy  cried  for  mercy. 

The  next  morning,  David  was  afraid  to  go   to 


3O  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

school,  apprehending  the  severe  punishment  he 
might  get  from  the  master.  He  therefore  left  home 
as  usual,  but  played  truant,  hiding  himself  in  the 
woods  all  day.  He  did  the  same  the  next  morning, 
and  so  continued  for  several  days.  At  last  the  mas- 
ter sent  word  to  John  Crockett,  inquiring  why  his 
son  David  no  longer  came  to  school.  The  boy  was 
called  to  an  account,  and  the  whole  affair  came  out. 

John  Crockett  had  been  drinking.  His  eyes 
flashed  fire.  He  cut  a  stout  hickory  stick,  and  with 
oaths  declared  that  he  would  give  his  boy  an  "  eter- 
nal sight "  worse  whipping  than  the  master  would 
give  him,  unless  he  went  directly  back  to  school. 
As  the  drunken  father  approached  brandishing  his 
stick,  the  boy  ran,  and  in  a  direction  opposite  from 
that  of  the  school-house.  The  enraged  father  pur- 
sued, and  the  unnatural  race  continued  for  nearly  a 
mile.  A  slight  turn  in  the  road  concealed  the  boy 
for  a  moment  from  the  view  of  his  pursuer,  and  he 
plunged  into  the  forest  and  hid.  The  father,  with 
staggering  gait,  rushed  along,  but  having  lost  sight 
of  the  boy,  soon  gave  up  the  chase,  and  returned 
home. 

This  revolting  spectacle,  of  such  a  father  and 
such  a  son,  over  which  one  would  think  that  angels 
might  weep,  only  excited  the  derision  of  this  strange 
boy.  It  was  what  he  had  been  accustomed  to  all 


PARENTAGE  AND   CHILDHOOD.  31 

his  life.  He  describes  it  in  ludicrous  terms,  with 
the  slang  phrases  which  were  ever  dropping  from  his 
lips.  David  knew  that  a  terrible  whipping  awaited 
him  should  he  go  back  to  the  cabin. 

He  therefore  pushed  on  several  miles,  to  the  hut 
of  a  settler  whom  he  knew.  He  was,  by  this  time, 
too  much  accustomed  to  the  rough  and  tumble  of 
life  to  feel  any  anxiety  about  the  future.  Arriving 
at  the  cabin,  it  so  chanced  that  he  found  a  man,  by 
the  name  of  Jesse  Cheek,  who  was  just  starting 
with  a  drove  of  cattle  for  Virginia.  Very  readily, 
David,  who  had  experience  in  that  business,  engaged 
to  accompany  him.  An  elder  brother  also,  either 
weary  of  his  wretched  home  or  anxious  to  see  more 
of  the  world,  entered  into  the  same  service. 

The  incidents  of  this  journey  were  essentially 
the  same  with  those  of  the  preceding  one,  though 
the  route  led  two  hundred  miles  farther  into  the 
heart  of  Virginia.  The  road  they  took  passed 
through  Abingdon,  Witheville,  Lynchburg,  Char- 
lottesville,  Orange  Court  House,  to  Front  Royal  in 
Warren  County.  Though  these  frontier  regions 
then,  seventy-five  years  ago,  were  in  a  very  primi- 
tive condition,  still  young  Crockett  caught  glimpses 
of  a  somewhat  higher  civilization  than  he  had  ever 
encountered  before  in  his  almost  savage  life. 

Here  the  drove  was  sold,  and  David  found  him- 


32  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

self  with  a  few  dollars  in  his  pocket.  His  brother 
decided  to  look  for  work  in  that  region.  David, 
then  thirteen  years  of  age,  hoping  tremblingly  that 
time  enough  had  elapsed  to  save  him  from  a  whip- 
ping, turned  his  thoughts  homeward.  A  brother 
of  the  drover  was  about  to  return  on  horseback. 
David  decided  to  accompany  him,  thinking  that  the 
man  would  permit  him  to  ride  a  part  of  the  way. 

Much  to  his  disgust,  the  man  preferred  to  ride 
himself.  The  horse  was  his  own.  David  had  no 
claim  to  it  whatever.  He  was  therefore  left  to 
trudge  along  on  foot.  Thus  he  journeyed  for  three 
days.  He  then  made  an  excuse  for  stopping  a  little 
while,  leaving  his  companion  to  go  on  alone.  He 
was  very  careful  not  again  to  overtake  him.  The 
boy  had  then,  with  four  dollars  in  his  pocket,  a 
foot  journey  before  him  of  between  three  and  four 
hundred  miles.  And  this  was  to  be  taken  through 
desolate  regions  of  morass  and  forest,  where,  not  un- 
frequently,  the  lurking  Indian  had  tomahawked,  or 
gangs  of  half-famished  wolves  had  devoured  the 
passing  traveller.  He  was  also  liable,  at  any  time, 
to  be  caught  by  night  and  storm,  without  any 
shelter. 

As  he  was  sauntering  along  slowly,  that  he  might 
be  sure  and  not  overtake  his  undesirable  compan- 
ion, he  met  a  wagoner  coming  from  Greenville,  in 


PARENTAGE   AND   CHILDHOOD.  33 

Tennessee,  and  bound  for  Gerardstown,  Berkeley 
County,  in  the  extreme  northerly  part  of  Virginia. 
His  route  lay  directly  over  the  road  which  David 
had  traversed.  The  man's  name  was  Adam  Myers. 
He  was  a  jovial  fellow,  and  at  once  won  the  heart 
of  the  vagrant  boy.  David  soon  entered  into  a 
bargain  with  Myers,  and  turned  back  with  him. 
The  state  of  mind  in  which  the  boy  was  may  be 
inferred  from  the  following  extract  taken  from  his 
autobiography.  I  omit  the  profanity,  which  was 
ever  sprinkled  through  all  his  utterances: 

"  I  often  thought  of  home,  and,  indeed,  wished 
bad  enough  to  be  there.  But  when  I  thought  of 
the  school-house,  and  of  Kitchen,  my  master,  and 
of  the  race  with  my  father,  and  of  the  big  hickory 
stick  he  carried,  and  of  the  fierceness  of  the  storm 
of  wrath  I  had  left  him  in,  I  was  afraid  to  ven- 
ture back.  I  knew  my  father's  nature  so  well,  that 
I  was  certain  his  anger  would  hang  on  to  him  like 
a  turtle  does  to  a  fisherman's  'toe.  The  promised 
whipping  came  slap  down  upon  every  thought  of 
home." 

Travelling  "back  with  the  wagon,  after  two 
days'  journey,  he  met  his  brother  again,  who  had 
then  decided  to  return  himself  to  the  parental 
cabin  in  Tennessee.  He  pleaded  hard  with  David 
to  accompany  him,  reminding  him  of  the  love  of  his 


34  DAVID  CROCKETT. 

mother  and  his  sisters.  The  boy,  though  all  unused 
to  weeping,  was  moved  to  tears.  But  the  thought 
of  the  hickory  stick,  and  of  his  father's  brawny  arm, 
decided  the  question.  With  his  friend  Myers  he 
pressed  on,  farther  and  farther  from  home,  to  Ger- 
ardstown. 


CHAPTER  II. 

YoutJiful  Adventures. 

David  at  Gerardstown. — Trip  to  Baltimore. — Anecdotes. — He  ships 
for  London. — Disappointment. — Defrauded  of  his  Wages. — 
Escapes. — New  Adventures. — Crossing  the  River. — Returns 
Home. — His  Reception. — A  Farm  Laborer. — Generosity  to  his 
Father.— Love  Adventure.— The  Wreck  of  his  Hopes.— His 
School  Education. — Second  Love  Adventure.— Bitter  Disap- 
pointment.— Life  in  the  Backwoods. — Third  Love  Adventure. 

THE  wagoner  whom  David  had  accompanied  to 
Gerardstown  was  disappointed  in  his  endeavors  to 
find  a  load  to  take  back  to  Tennessee.  He  there- 
fore took  a  load  to  Alexandria,  on  the  Potomac. 
David  decided  to  remain  at  Gerardstown  until 
Myers  should  return.  He  therefore  engaged  to 
work  for  a  man  by  the  name  of  John  Gray,  for 
twenty-five  cents  a  day.  It  was  light  farm-work  in 
which  he  was  employed,  and  he  was  so  faithful  in 
the  performance  of  his  duties  that  he  pleased  the 
farmer,  who  was  an  old  man,  very  much. 

Myers  continued  for  the  winter  in  teaming  backr 
ward  and  forward  between  Gerardstown  and  Balti- 
more, while  David  found  a  comfortable  home  of 


36  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

easy  industry  with  the  farmer.  He  was  very  careful 
in  the  expenditure  of  his  money,  and  in  the  spring 
found  that  he  had  saved  enough  from  his  small 
wages  to  purchase  him  a  suit  of  coarse  but  sub- 
stantial clothes.  He  then,  wishing  to.  see  a  little 
more  of  the  world,  decided  to  make  a  trip  with  the 
wagoner  to  Baltimore. 

David  had  then  seven  dollars  in  his  pocket,  the 
careful  savings  of  the  labors  of  half  a  year.  He 
deposited  the  treasure  with  the  wagoner  for  safe 
keeping.  They  started  on  their  .journey,  with  a 
wagon  heavily  laden  with  barrels  of  flour.  As  they 
were  approaching  a  small  settlement  called  Ellicott's 
Mills,  David,  a  little  ashamed  to  approach  the  houses 
in  the  ragged  and  mud-bespattered  clothes  which 
he  wore  on  the  way,  crept  into  the  wagon  to  put  on 
his  better  garments. 

While  there  in  the  midst  of  the  flour  barrels 
piled  up  all  around  him,  the  horses  took  fright  at 
some  strange  sightwhich  they  encountered,  and  in 
a  terrible  scare  rushed  down  a  steep  hill,  turned  a 
sharp  corner,  broke  the  tongue  of  the  wagon  and 
both  of  the  axle-trees,  and  whirled  the  heavy  bar- 
rels about  in  every  direction.  The  escape  of  David 
from  very  serious  injuries  seemed  almost  miraculous. 
But  our  little  barbarian  leaped  from  the  ruins 
unscathed.  It  does  not  appear  that  he  had  ever 


YOUTHFUL  ADVENTURES.  37 

cherished  any  conception  whatever  of  an  overrul- 
ing Providence.  Probably,  a  religious  thought  had 
never  entered  his  mind.  A  colt  running  by  the  side 
of  the  horses  could  not  have  been  more  insensible 
to  every  idea  of  death,  and  responsibility  at  God's 
bar,  than  was  David  Crockett.  And  he  can  be 
hardly  blamed  for  this.  The  savages  had  some  idea 
of  the  Great  Spirit  and  of  a  future  world.  David 
was  as  uninstructed  in  those  thoughts  as  are  the 
wolves  and  the  bears.  Many  years  afterward,  in 
writing  of  this  occurrence,  he  says,  with  characteris- 
tic flippancy,  interlarded  with  coarse  phrases: 

"  This  proved  to  me,  if  a  fellow  is  born  to  be  hung 
he  will  never  be  drowned  ;  and  further,  that  if  he  is 
born  for  a  seat  in  Congress,  even  flour  barrels  can't 
make  a  mash  of  him.  I  didn't  know  how  soon  I 
should  be  knocked  into  a  cocked  hat,  and  get  my 
walking-papers  for  another  country." 

The  wagon  was  quite  demolished  by  the  disaster. 
Another  was  obtained,  the  flour  reloaded,  and  they 
proceeded  to  Baltimore,  dragging  the  wreck  behind 
them,  to  be  repaired  there.  Here  young  Crockett 
was  amazed  at  the  aspect  of  civilization  which 
was  opened  before  him.  He  wandered  along  the 
wharves  gazing  bewildered  upon  the  majestic  ships, 
with  their  towering  masts,  cordage,  and  sails,  which 
he  saw  floating  there.  He  had  never  conceived  of 


38  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

such  fabrics  before.  The  mansions,  the  churches, 
the  long  lines  of  brick  stores  excited  his  amazement. 
It  seemed  to  him  that  he  had  been  suddenly  intro- 
duced into  a  sort  of  fairy-land.  All  thoughts  of 
home  now  vanished  from  his  mind.  The  great  world 
was  expanding  before  him,  and  the  curiosity  of  his 
intensely  active  mind  was  roused  to  explore  more 
of  its  wonders. 

One  morning  he  ventured  on  board  one  of  the 
ships  at  a  wharf,  and  was  curiously  and  cautiously 
peering  about,  when  the  captain  caught  sight  of 
him.  It  so  happened  that  he  was  in  need  of  a  sailor- 
boy,  and  being  pleased  with  the  appearance  of  the 
lad,  asked  David  if  he  would  not  like  to  enter  into 
his  service  to  take  a  voyage  to  London.  The  boy 
had  no  more  idea  of  where  London  was,  or  what  it 
was,  than  of  a  place  in  the  moon.  But  eagerly  he 
responded,  "  Yes,"  for  he  cared  little  where  he  went 
or  what  became  of  him,  he  was  so  glad  of  an  oppor- 
tunity to  see  more  of  the  wonders  of  this  unknown 
world. 

The  captain  made  a  few  inquiries  respecting  his 
friends,  his  home,  and  his  past  modes  of  life>  and 
then  engaged  him  for  the  cruise.  David,  in  a  state 
of  high,  joyous  excitement,  hurried  back  to  the 
wagoner,  to  get  his  seven  dollars  of  money  and 
some  clothes  he  had  left  with  him.  But  Myers  put 


YOUTHFUL  ADVENTURES.  39 

a  very  prompt  veto  upon  the  lad's  procedure ; 
assuming  that  he  was  the  boy's  master,  he  declared 
that  he  should  not  go  to  sea.  He  refused  to  let 
him  have  either  his  clothes  or  his  money,  asserting 
that  it  was  his  duty  to  take  him  back  to  his  parents 
in  Tennessee.  David  would  gladly  have  fled  from 
him,  and  embarked  without  money  and  without 
clothes ;  but  the  wagoner  watched  him  so  closely 
that  escape  was  impossible. 

David  was  greatly  down-hearted  at  this  disap- 
pointment, and  watched  eagerly  for  an  opportunity 
to  obtain  deliverance  from  his  bondage.  But  Myers 
was  a  burly  teamster  who  swung  a  very  heavy 
wagon-whip,  threatening  the  boy  with  a  heavy 
punishment  if  he  should  make  any  attempt  to  run 
away. 

After  a  few  days,  Myers  loaded  his  team  for  Ten- 
nessee, and  with  his  reluctant  boy  set  out  on  his  long 
journey.  David  was  exceedingly  restless.  He  now 
hated  the  man  who  was  so  tyranically  domineering 
over  him.  He  had  no  desire  to  return  to  his  home, 
and  he  dreaded  the  hickory  stick  with  which  he 
feared  his  brutal  father  would  assail  him.  One  dark 
night,  an  hour  or  two  before  the  morning,  David  care- 
fully took  his  little  bundle  of  clothes,  and  creeping 
noiselessly  from  the  cabin,  rushed  forward  as  rapidly 
as  his  nimble  feet  could  carry  him.  He  soon  felt 


4O  DAVID  CROCKETT. 

quite  easy  in  reference  to  his  escape.  He  knew  that 
the  wagoner  slept  soundly,  and  that  two  hours  at 
least  must  elapse  before  he  would  open  his  eyes.  .He 
then  would  not  know  with  certainty  in  what  direction 
the  boy  had  fled.  He  could  not  safely  leave  his 
horses  and  wagon  alone  in  the  wilderness,  to  pursue 
him;  and  even  should  he  unharness  one  of  the 
horses  and  gallop  forward  in  search  of  the  fugitive, 
David,  by  keeping  a  vigilant  watch,  would  see  him 
in  the  distance  and  could  easily  plunge  into  the 
thickets  of  the  forest,  and  thus  elude  pursuit. 

He  had  run  along  five  or  six  miles,  when  just  as 
the  sun  was  rising  he  overtook  another  wagon.  He 
had  already  begun  to  feel  very  lonely  and  disconso- 
late. He  had  naturally  an  affectionate  heart  and  a 
strong  mind ;  traits  of  character  which  gleamed 
through  all  the  dark  clouds  that  obscured  his  life. 
He  was  alone  in  the  wilderness,  without  a  penny; 
and  he  knew  not  what  to  do,  or  which  way  to  turn. 
The  moment  he  caught  sight  of  the  teamster  his 
heart  yearned  for  sympathy.  Tears  moistened  his 
eyes,  and  hastening  to  the  stranger,  the  friendless 
boy  of  but  thirteen  years  frankly  told  his  whole 
story.  The  wagoner  was  a  rough,  profane,  burly 
man,  of  generous  feelings.  There  was  an  air  of 
sincerity  in  the  boy,  which  convinced  him  of  the 
entire  truth  of  his  statements.  His  indignation 


YOUTHFUL  ADVENTURES.  41 

was  aroused,  and  he  gave  expression  to  that  indigna- 
tion in  unmeasured  terms.  Cracking  his  whip  in 
his  anger,  he  declared  that  Myers  was  a  scoundrel, 
thus  to  rob  a  friendless  boy,  and  that  he  would  lash 
the  money  out  of  him. 

This  man,  whose  name  also  chanced  to  be  Myers, 
was  of  the  tiger  breed,  fearing  nothing,  ever  ready 
for  a  fight,  and  almost  invariably  coming  off  con- 
queror. In  his  generous  rage  he  halted  his  team, 
grasped  his  wagon-whip,  and,  accompanied  by  the 
trembling  boy,  turned  back,  breathing  vengeance. 
David  was  much  alarmed,  and  told  his  protector 
that  he  was  afraid  to  meet  the  wagoner,  who  had  so 
often  threatened  him  with  his  whip.  But  his  new 
friend  said,  "  Have  no  fear.  The  man  shall  give  you 
back  your  money,  or  I  will  thrash  it  out  of  him." 

They  had  proceeded  but  about  two  miles  when 
they  met  the  approaching  team  of  Adam  Myers. 
Henry  Myers,  David's  new  friend,  leading  him  by 
the  hand,  advanced  menacingly  upon  the  other 
teamster,  and  greeted  him  with  the  words : 

"  You  accursed  scoundrel,  what  do  you  mean  by 
robbing  this  friendless  boy  of  his  money?" 

Adam  Myers  confessed  that  he  had  received 
seven  dollars  of  the  boy's  money.  He  said,  how- 
ever, that  he  had  no  money  with  him ;  that  he  had 
invested  all  he  had  in  articles  in  his  wagon,  and  that 


42  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

he  intended  to  repay  the  boy  as  soon  as  they  got 
back  to  Tennessee.  This  settled  the  question,  and 
David  returned  with  Henry  Myers  to  his  wagon, 
and  accompanied  him  for  several  days  on  his  slow 
and  toilsome  journey  westward. 

The  impatient  boy,  as  once  before,  soon  got 
weary  of  the  loitering  pace  of  the  heavily  laden 
team,  and  concluded  to  leave  his  friend  and  press 
forward  more  rapidly  alone.  It  chanced,  one  even- 
ing, that  several  wagons  met,  and  the  teamsters 
encamped  for  the  night  together.  Henry  Myers 
told  them  the  story  of  the  friendless  boy,  and  that 
he  was  now  about  to  set  out  alone  for  the  long 
journey,  most  of  it  through  an  entire  wilderness, 
and  through  a  land  of  strangers  wherever  there 
might  chance  to  be  a  few  scattered  cabins.  They 
took  up  a  collection  for  David,  and  presented  him 
with  three  dollars. 

The  little  fellow  pressed  along,  about  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  miles,  down  the  valley  between 
the  Alleghany  and  the  Blue  ridges,  until  he  reached 
Montgomery  Court  House.  The  region  then,  nearly 
three  quarters  of  a  century  ago,  presented  only  here 
and  there  a  spot  where  the  light  of  civilization  had 
entered.  Occasionally  the  log  cabin  of  some  poor 
emigrant  was  found  in  the  vast  expanse.  David, 
too  proud  to  beg,  when  he  had  any  money  with 


YOUTHFUL  ADVENTURES.  43 

which  to  pay,  found  his  purse  empty  when  he  had 
accomplished  this  small  portion  of  his  journey. 

In  this  emergence,  he  hired  out  to  work  for  a 
man  a  month  for  five  dollars,  which  was  at  the  rate 
of  about  one  shilling  a  day.  Faithfully  he  fulfilled 
his  contract,  and  then,  rather  dreading  to  return 
home,  entered  into  an  engagement  with  a  hatter, 
Elijah  Griffith,  to  work  in  his  shop  for  four  years. 
Here  he  worked  diligently  eighteen  months  without 
receiving  any  pay.  His  employer  then  failed,  broke 
up,  and  left  the  country.  Again  this  poor  boy,  thus 
the  sport  of  fortune,  found  himself  without  a  penny, 
with  but  few  clothes,  and  those  much  worn. 

But  it  was  not  his  nature  to  lay  anything  very 
deeply  to  heart.  He  laughed  at  misfortune,  and 
pressed  on  singing  and  whistling  through  all  storms. 
He  had  a  stout  pair  of  hands,  good  nature,  and  adap- 
tation to  any  kind  of  work.  There  was  no  danger 
of  his  starving;  and  exposures,  which  many  would 
deem  hardships,  were  no  hardships  for  him.  Un- 
dismayed he  ran  here  and  there,  catching  at  such 
employment  as  he  could  find,  until  he  had  supplied 
himself  with  some  comfortable  clothing,  and  had  a 
few  dollars  of  ready  money  in  his  purse.  Again  he 
set  out  alone  and  on  foot  for  his  far-distant  home. 
He  had  been  absent  over  two  years,  and  was  How 
fifteen  years  of  age. 


44  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

He  trudged  along,  day  after  day,  through  rain 
and  sunshine,  until  he  reached  a  broad  stream  called 
New  River.  It  was  wintry  weather.  The  stream 
was  swollen  by  recent  rains,  and  a  gale  then  blowing 
was  ploughing  the  surface  into  angry  waves.  Teams 
forded  the  stream  many  miles  above.  There  was  a 
log  hut  here,  and  the  owner  had  a  frail  canoe  in 
which  he  could  paddle  an  occasional  traveller  across 
the  river.  But  nothing  would  induce  him  to  risk  his 
life  in  an  attempt  to  cross  in  such  a  storm. 

The  impetuous  boy,  in  his  ignorance  of  the  effect 
of  wind  upon  waves,  resolved  to  attempt  to  cross, 
at  every  hazard,  and  notwithstanding  all  remon- 
strances. He  obtained  a  leaky  canoe,  which  was 
half  stranded  upon  the  shore,  and  pushed  out  on 
his  perilous  voyage.  He  tied  his  little  bundle  of 
clothes  to  the  bows  of  the  boat,  that  they  might 
not  be  washed  or  blown  away,  and  soon  found 
himself  exposed  to  the  full  force  of  the  wind,  and 
tossed  by  billows  such  as  he  had  never  dreamed  of 
before.  He  was  greatly  frightened,  and  would  have 
given  all  he  had  in  the  world,  to  have  been  safely 
back  again  upon  the  shore.  But  he  was  sure  to  be 
swamped  if  he  should  attempt  to  turn  the  boat 
broadside  to  the  waves  in  such  a  gale.  The  only 
possible  salvation  for  him  was  to  cut  the  approach- 
ing billows  with  the  bows  of  the  boat.  Thus  he 


YOUTHFUL   ADVENTURES.  45 

might  possibly  ride  over  them,  though  at  the  immi- 
nent peril,  every  moment,  of  shipping  a  sea  which 
would  engulf  him  and  his  frail  boat  in  a  watery 
grave. 

In  this  way  he  reached  the  shore,  two  miles 
above  the  proper  landing-place.  The  canoe  was 
then  half  full  of  water.  He  was  drenched  with 
spray,  which  was  frozen  into  almost  a  coat  of  mail 
upon  his  garments.  Shivering  with  cold,  he  had  to 
walk  three  miles  through  the  forest  before  he 
found  a  cabin  at  whose  fire  he  could  warm  and  dry 
himself.  Without  any  unnecessary  delay  he  pushed 
on  until  he  crossed  the  extreme  western  frontier  line 
of  Virginia,  and  entered  Sullivan  County,  Tennessee. 

An  able-bodied  young  man  like  David  Crockett, 
strong,  athletic,  willing  to  work,  and  knowing  how 
to  turn  his  hand  to  anything,  could,  in  the  humblest 
cabin,  find  employment  which  would  provide  him 
with  board  and  lodging.  He  was  in  no  danger  of 
starving.  There  was,  at  that  time,  but  one  main 
path  of  travel  from  the  East  into  the  regions  of  the 
boundless  West. 

As  David  was  pressing  along  this  path,  he  came 
to  a  little  hamlet  of  log  huts,  where  he  found  the 
brother  whom  he  had  left  when  he  started  from 
home  eighteen  months  before  with  the  drove  of 
cattle.  He  remained  with  him  for  two  or  three 


46  DAVID  CROCKETT. 

weeks,  probably  paying  his  expenses  by  farm  labor 
and  hunting.  Again  he ,  set  out  for  home.  The 
evening  twilight  was  darkening  into  night  when  he 
caught  *sight  of  his  father's  humble  cabin.  Several 
wagons  were  standing  around,  showing  that  there 
must  be  considerable  company  in  the  house. 

With  not  a  little  embarrassment,  he  ventured  in. 
It  was  rather  dark.  His  mother  and  sisters  were 
preparing  supper  at  the  immense  fireside.  Quite  a 
group  of  teamsters  were  scattered  around  the  room, 
smoking  their  pipes,  and  telling  their  marvellous 
stories.  David,  during  his  absence  of  two  years, 
had  grown,  and  changed  considerably  in  personal 
appearance.  None  of  the  family  recognized  him. 
They  generally  supposed,  as  he  had  been  absent  so 
long,  that  he  was  dead. 

David  inquired  if  he  could  remain  all  night. 
Being  answered  in  the  affirmative,  he  took  a  seat  in 
a  corner,  and  remained  perfectly  silent,  gazing  upon 
the  familiar  scene,  and  watching  the  movements  of 
his  father,  mother,  and  sisters.  At  length  supper 
was  ready,  and  all  took  seats  at  the  table.  As  David 
came  more  into  the  light,  one  of  his  sisters,  observ- 
ing him,  was  struck  with  his  resemblance  to  her  lost 
brother.  Fixing  her  eyes  upon  him,  she,  in  a 
moment,  rushed  forward  and  threw  her  arms  around 
his  neck,  exclaiming,  "  Here  is  my  brother  David." 


YOUTHFUL  ADVENTURES.  47 

Quite  a  scene  ensued.  The  returning  prodigal 
was  received  with  as  much  affection  as  could  be 
expected  in  a  family  with  such  uncultivated  hearts 
and  such  unrefined  habits  as  were  found  in  the 
cabin  of  John  Crockett.  Even  the  stern  old  man 
forgot  his  hickory  switch,  and  David,  much  to  his 
relief,  found  that  he  should  escape  the  long-dreaded 
whipping.  Many  years  after  this,  when  David 
Crockett,  to  his  own  surprise,  and  that  of  the  whole 
nation,  found  himself  elevated  to  the  position  of 
one  of  our  national  legislators,  he  wrote  : 

"  But  if  will  be  a  source  of  astonishment  to 
many,  who  reflect  that  I  am  now  a  member  of  the 
American  Congress,  the  most  enlightened  body  of 
men  in  the  world,  that,  at  so  advanced  an  age,  the 
age  of  fifteen,  I  did  not  know  the  first  letter  in  the 
book." 

By  the  laws  and  customs  of  our  land,  David  was 
bound  to  obey  his  father  and  work  for  him  until  he 
was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  Until  that  time,  what- 
ever wages  he  might  earn  belonged  to  his  father. 
It  is  often  an  act  of  great  generosity  for  a  hard- 
working farmer  to  release  a  stout  lad  of  eighteen 
or  nineteen  from  this  obligation,  and  "  to  give  him," 
as  it  is  phrased,  "  his  time." 

John  Crockett  owed  a  neighbor,  Abraham  Wil- 
son, thirty-six  dollars.  He  told  David  that  if  he 


48  DAVID  CROCKETT. 

would  work  for  Mr.  Alison  until  his  wages  paid  that 
sum,  he  would  then  release  him  from  all  his  obliga- 
tions to  his  father,  and  his  son  might  go  free.  It 
was  a  shrewd  bargain  for  the  old  man,  for  he  had 
already  learned  that  David  was  abundantly  capable 
of  taking  care  of  himself,  and  that  he  would  come 
and  go  when  and  where  he  pleased. 

The  boy,  weary  of  his  wanderings,  consented  to 
the  arrangement,  and  engaged  to  work  for  Mr.  Wil- 
son for  six  months,  in  payment  for  which,  the  note 
was  to  be  delivered  up  to  his  father.  It  was  charac- 
teristic of  David  that  whatever  he  undertook  he  en- 
gaged in  with  all  his  might.  He  was  a  rude,  coarse 
boy.  It  was  scarcely  possible,  with  his  past  train- 
ing, that  he  should  be  otherwise.  But  he  was  very 
faithful  in  fulfilling  his  obligations.  Though  his 
sense  of  right  and  wrong  was  very  obtuse,  he  was 
still  disposed  to  do  the  right  so  far  as  his  unculti- 
vated conscience  revealed  it  to  him. 

For  six  months,  David  worked  for  Mr.  Wilson 
with  the  utmost  fidelity  and  zeal.  He  then  received 
the  note,  presented  it  to  his  father,  and,  before  he 
was  sixteen  years  of  age,  stood  up  proudly  his  own 
man.  His  father  had  no  longer  the  right  to  whip 
him.  His  father  had  no  longer  the  right  to  call  upon 
him  for  any  service  without  paying  him  for  it.  And 
on  the  other  hand,  he  could  no  longer  look  to  his 


YOUTHFUL  ADVENTURES.  49 

father  for  food  or  clothing.  This  thought  gave  him 
no  trouble.  He  had  already  taken  care  of  himself 
for  two  years,  and  he  felt  no  more  solicitude  in 
regard  to  the  future  than  did  the  buffalo's  calf  or 
the  wolf's  whelp. 

Wilson  was  a  bad  man,  dissipated  and  unprinci- 
pled. But  he  had  found  David  to  be  so  valuable  a 
laborer  that  he  offered  him  high  wages  if  he  would 
remain  and  work  for  him.  It  shows  a  latent,  under- 
lying principle  of  goodness  in  David,  that  he  should 
have  refused  the  offer.  He  writes  : 

"  The  reason  was,  it  was  a  place  where  a  heap 
of  bad  company  met  .to  drink  and  gamble ;  and  I 
wanted  to  get  away  from  them,  for  I  know'd  very 
well,  if  I  staid  there,  I  should  get  a  bad  name,  as 
nobody  could  be  respectable  that  would  live  there." 

About  this  time  a  Quaker,  somewhat  advanced 
in  years,  a  good,  honest  man,  by  the  name  of  John 
Kennedy,  emigrated  from  North  Carolina,  and 
selecting  his  four  hundred  acres  of  land  about  fifteen 
miles  from  John  Crockett's,  reared  a  log  hut  and 
commenced  a  clearing.  In  some  transaction  with 
Crockett  he  took  his  neighbor's  note  for  forty 
dollars.  He  chanced  to  see  David,  a  stout  lad  of 
prepossessing  appearance,  and  proposed  that  he 
should  work  for  him  for  two  shillings  a  day,  taking 
him  one  week  upon  trial.  At  the  close  of  the  week 
3 


5O  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

the  Quaker  expressed  himself  as  highly  satisfied 
with  his  work,  and  offered  to  pay  him  with  his 
father's  note  of  forty  dollars  for  six  months'  labor 
on  his  farm. 

David  knew  full  well  how  ready  his  father  was 
to  give  his  note,  and  how  slow  he  was  to  pay  it. 
He  was  fully  aware  that  the  note  was  not  worth,  to 
him,  the  paper  upon  v/hich  it  was  written.  But  he 
reflected  that  the  note  was  an  obligation  upon  his 
father,  that  he  was  very  poor,  and  his  lot  in  life  was 
hard.  It  certainly  indicated  much  innate  nobility 
of  nature  that  this  boy,  under  these  circumstances, 
should  have  accepted  the  offer  of  the  Quaker.  But 
David  did  this.  For  six  months  he  labored  assidu- 
ously, without  the  slightest  hope  of  reward,  except- 
ing that  he  would  thus  relieve  his  father,  whom  he 
had  no  great  cause  either  to  respect  or  love,  from 
the  embarrassment  of  the  debt. 

For  a  whole  half-year  David  toiled  upon  the 
farm -of  the  Quaker,  never  once  during  that  time 
visiting  his  home.  At  the  end  of  the  term  he 
received  his  pay  for  those  long  months  of  labor,  in 
a  little  piece  of  rumpled  paper,  upon  which  his 
father  had  probably  made  his  mark.  It  was  Satur- 
day evening. 

The  next  morning  he  borrowed  a  horse  of  his 
employer  and  set  out  for  a  visit  home.  He  was 


YOUTHFUL  ADVENTURES.  51 

kindly  welcomed.  His  father  knew  nothing  of  the 
agreement  which  his  son  had  made  with  Mr.  Ken- 
nedy. As  the  family  were  talking  together  around 
the  cabin  fire,  David  drew  the  note  from  his  pocket 
and  presented  it  to  his  father.  The  old  man  seemed 
much  troubled.  He  supposed  Mr.  Kennedy  had 
sent  it  for  collection.  As  usual,  he  began  to  make 
excuses.  He  said  that  he  was  very  sorry  that  he 
could  not  pay  it,  that  he  had  met  with  many  misfor- 
tunes, that  he  had  no  money,  and  that  he  did  not 
know  what  to  do. 

David  then  told  his  father  that  he  did  not  hand 
him  the  bill  for  collection,  but  that  it  was  a  present 
from  him — that  he  had  paid  it  in  full.  It  is  easy  for 
old  and  broken-down  men  to  weep.  John  Crockett 
seemed  much  affected  by  this  generosity  of  his  son, 
and  David  says  "  he  shed  a  heap  of  tears."  He, 
however,  avowed  his  inability  to  pay  anything  what- 
ever, upon  the  note. 

David  had  now  worked  a  year  without  getting 
any  money  for  himself.  His  clothes  were  worn  out, 
and  altogether  he  was  in  a  very  dilapidated  condi- 
tion. He  went  back  to  the  Quaker's,  and  again 
engaged  in  his  service,  desiring  to  earn  some  money 
to  purchase  clothes.  Two  months  thus  passed 
away.  Every  ardent,  impetuous  boy  must  have  a 
love  adventure.  David  had  his.  A  very  pretty 


52  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

young  Quakeress,  of  about  David's  age,  came  from 
North  Carolina  to  visit  Mr.  Kennedy,  who  was  her 
uncle.  David  fell  desperately  in  love  with  her. 
We  cannot  better  describe  this  adventure  than  in 
the  unpolished  diction  of  this  illiterate  boy.  If  one 
would  understand  this  extraordinary  character,  it  is 
necessary  thus  to  catch  such  glimpses  as  we  can 
of  his  inner  life.  Let  this  necessity  atone  for  the 
unpleasant  rudeness  of  speech.  Be  it  remembered 
that  this  reminiscence  was  written  after  David 
Crockett  was  a  member  of  Congress. 

"  I  soon  found  myself  head  over  heels  in  love 
with  this  girl.  I  thought  that  if  all  the  hills  about 
there  were  pure  chink,  and  all  belonged  to  me,  I 
would  give  them  if  I  could  just  talk  to  her  as  I 
wanted  to.  But  I  was  afraid  to  begin ;  for  when  I 
would  think  of  saying  anything  to  her,  my  heart 
would  begin  to  flutter  like  a  duck  in  a  puddle.  And 
if  I  tried  to  outdo  it  and  speak,  it  would  get  right 
smack  up  in  my  throat,  and  choke  me  like  a  cold 
potato.  It  bore  on  my  mind  in  this  way,  till  at  last 
I  concluded  I  must  die  if  I  didn't  broach  the  subject. 
So  I  determined  to  begin  and  hang  on  a-trying  to 
speak,  till  my  heart  would  get  out  of  my  throat  one 
way  or  t'other. 

"  And  so  one  day  at  it  I  went,  and  after  several 
trials  I  could  say  a  little.  I  told  her  how  I  loved 


YOUTHFUL  ADVENTURES.  53 

her;  that  she  was  the  darling  object  of  my  soul  and 
body  ;  and  I  must  have  her,  or  else  I  should  pine 
down  to  nothing,  and  just  die  away  with  consump- 
tion. 

"  I  found  my  talk  was  not  disagreeable  to  her. 
But  she  was  an  honest  girl,  and  didn't  want  to  deceive 
nobody.  She  told  me  she  was  engaged  to  her 
cousin,  a  son  of  the  old  Quaker.  This  news  was 
worse  to  me  than  war,  pestilence,  or  famine.  But 
still  I  know'd  I  could  not  help  myself.  I  saw  quick 
enough  my  cake  was  dough  ;  and  I  tried  to  cool  off 
as  fast  as  possible.  But  I  had  hardly  safety  pipes 
enough,  as  my  love  was  so  hot  as  mighty  nigh  to 
burst  my  boilers.  But  I  .didn't  press  my  claims  any 
more,  seeing  there  was  no  chance  to  do  anything." 

David's  grief  was  very  sincere,  and  continued  as 
long  as  is  usually  the  case  with  disappointed  lovers. 

David  soon  began  to  cherish  some  slight  idea 
of  the  deficiency  in  his  education.  He  had  never 
been  to  school  but  four  days ;  and  in  that  time  he 
had  learned  absolutely  nothing.  A  young  man,  a 
Quaker/ had  opened  a  school  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  from  Mr.  Kennedy's.  David  made  an  arrange- 
ment with  his  employer  by  which  he  was  to. go  to 
school  four  days  in  the  week,  and  work  the  other 
two  days  for  his  board.  He  continued  in  this  way 
for  six  months.  But  it  was  very  evident  that  David 


54  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

was  not  born  for  a  scholar.  At  the  end  of  that  time 
he  could  read  a  little  in  the  first  primer.  With  diffi- 
culty he  could  make  certain  hieroglyphics  which 
looked  like  his  name.  He  could  also  perform  sim- 
ple sums  in  addition,  substraction,  and  multipli- 
cation. The  mysteries  of  division  he  never  sur-. 
mounted. 

This  was  the  extent  of  his  education.  He  left 
school,  and  in  the  laborious  life  upon  which  he  en- 
tered, never  after  improved  any  opportunity  for 
mental  culture.  The  disappointment  which  David 
had  encountered  in  his  love  affair,  only  made  him 
more  eager  to  seek  a  new  "object  uporl  which  he 
might  fix  his  affections.  Not  far  from  Mr.  Ken- 
nedy's there  was  the  cabin  of  a  settler,  where  there 
were  two  or  three  girls.  David  had  occasionally 
met  them.  Boy  as  he  was,  for  he  was  not  yet  eigh- 
teen, he  suddenly  and  impetuously  set  out  to  see  if 
he  could  not  pick,  from  them,  one  for  a  wife. 

Without  delay  he  made  his  choice,  and  made 
his  offer,  and  was  as  promptly  accepted  as  a  lover. 
Though  they  were  both  very  young,  and  neither  of 
them,  had  a  dollar,  still  as  those  considerations 
would  not  have  influenced  David  in  the  slightest 
degree,  we  know  not  why  they  were  not  immediately 
married.  Several  months  of  very  desperate  and 
satisfactory  courtship  passed  away,  when  the  time 


YOUTHFUL   ADVENTURES.  55 

came  for  the  nuptials  of  the  little  Quaker  girl,  which 
ceremony  was  to  take  place  at  the  cabin  of  her 
uncle.  David  and  his  "girl"  were  invited  to  the 
wedding.  The  scene  only  inflamed  the  desires  of 
David  to  hasten  his  marriage-day.  He  was  very 
importunate  in  pressing  his  claims.  She  seemed 
quite  reluctant  to  fix  the  day,  but  at  last  consented  ; 
and  says  David,  "  I  thought  if  that  day  come,  I 
should  be  the  happiest  man  in  the  created  world,  or 
in  the  moon,  or  anywhere  else." 

In  the  mean  time  David  had  become  very  fond 
of  his  rifle,  and  had  raised  enough  money  to  buy 
him  one.  He  was  still  living  with  the  Quaker. 
Game  was  abundant,  and  the  young  hunter  often 
brought  in  valuable  supplies  of  animal  food.  There 
were  frequent  shooting-matches  in  that  region. 
David,  proud  of  his  skill,  was  fond  of  attending 
them.  But  his  Quaker  employer  considered  them  a 
species  of  gambling,  which  drew  together  all  the 
idlers  and  vagrants  of  the  region,  and  he  could  not 
approve  of  them. 

There-  was  another  boy  living  at  that  time  with 
the  Quaker.  They  practised  all  sorts  of  deceptions 
to  steal  away  to  the  shooting-matches  under  pre- 
tence that  they  were  engaged  in  other  things.  This 
boy  was  quite  in  love  with  a  sister  of  David's  in- 
tended wife.  The  staid  member  of  the  Society  'of 


56  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

Friends  did  not  approve  of  the  rude  courting  frolics 
of  those  times,  which  frequently  occupied  nearly 
the  whole  night. 

The  two  boys  slept  in  a  garret,  in  what  was 
called  the  gable  end  of  the  house.  There  was  a 
small  window  in  their  rough  apartment.  One  Sun- 
day, when  the  Quaker  and  his  wife  were  absent  at- 
tending a  meeting,  the  boys  cut  a  long  pole,  and 
leaned  it  up  against  the  side  of  the  house,  as  high  as 
the  window,  but  so  that  it  would  not  attract  any  atten- 
tion. They  were  as  nimble  as  catamounts,  and  could 
run  up  and  down  the  "pole  without  the  slightest 
difficulty.  They  would  go  to  bed  at  the  usual  early 
hour.  As  soon  as  all  were  quiet,  they  would  creep 
from  the  house,  dressed  in  their  best  apparel,  and 
taking  the  two  farm-horses,  would  mount  their  backs 
and  ride,  as  fast  as  possible,  ten  miles  through  the 
forest  road  to  where  the  girls  lived.  They  were 
generally  expected.  After  spending  all  the  hours 
of  the  middle  of  the  night  in  the  varied  frolics  of 
country  courtship,  they  would  again  mount  their 
horses  and  gallop  home,  being  especially  careful  to 
creep  in  at  their  window  before  the  dawn  of  day. 
The  course  of  true  love  seemed  for  once  to  be  run- 
ning smoothly.  Saturday  came,  and  the  next  week, 
on  Thursday,  David  was  to  be  married. 

It  so  happened  that  there  was  to  be  a  shooting- 


YOUTHFUL  ADVENTURES.  57 

match  on  Saturday,  at  one  of  the  cabins  not  far 
from  the  home  of  his  intended  bride.  David,  made 
some  excuse  as  to  the  necessity  of  going  home  to 
prepare  for  his  wedding,  and  in  the  morning  s-et  out 
early,  and  directed  his  steps  straight  to  the  shoot- 
ing-match. Here  he  was  very  successful  in  his 
shots,  and  won  about  five  dollars.  In  great  elation 
of  spirits,  and  fully  convinced  that  he  was  one  of  the 
greatest  and  happiest  men  in  the  world,  he  pressed 
on  toward  the  home  of  his  intended  bride. 

He  had  walked  but  a  couple  of  miles,  when  he 
reached  the  cabin  of  the  girl's  uncle.  Considering 
the  members  of  the  family  already  as  his  relatives, 
he  stepped  in,  very  patronizingly,  to  greet  them. 
He  doubted  not  that  they  were  very  proud  of  the 
approaching  alliance  of  their  niece  with  so  distin- 
guished a  man  as  himself — a  man  who  had  actually 
five  dollars,  in  silver,  in  his  pocket.  Entering  the 
cabin,  he  found  a  sister  of  his  betrothed  there. 
Instead  of  greeting  him  with  the  cordiality  he 
expected,  she  seemed  greatly  embarrassed.  David 
had  penetration  enough  to  see  that  something  wa"s 
wrong.  The  reception  she  gave  him  was  not  such 
as  he  thought  a  brother-in-law  ought  to  receive.  He 
made  more  particular  inquiries.  The  result  we  will 
give  in  David's  language. 

"  She  then  burst  into  tears,  and  told  me  that  her 
3* 


58  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

sister  was  going  to  deceive  me  ;  and  that  she  was  to 
be  married  to  another  man  the  next  day.  This  was 
as  sudden  to  me  as  a  clap  of  thunder  of  a  bright 
sunshiny  day.  It  was  the  capstone  of  all  the  afflic- 
tions I  had  ever  met  with;, and  it  seemed  to  me 
that  it  was  more  than  any  human  creature  could 
endure.  It  struck  me  perfectly  speech  c.-  s  or  some 
time,  and  made  me  feel  so  weak  that  I  thought  I 
should  sink  down.  I  however  recovered  from  the 
shock  after  a  little,  and  rose  and  started  without 
any  ceremony,  or  even  bidding  anybody  good-bye. 
The  young  woman  followed  me  out  to  the  gate,  and 
entreated  me  to  go  on  to  her  father's,  and  said  she 
would  go  with  me. 

"  She  said  the  young  man  who  was  going  to  marry 
her  sister  had  got  his  license  and  asked  for  her. 
But  she  assured  me  that  her  father  and  mother  both 
preferred  me  to  him ;  and  that  she  had  no  doubt 
that  if  I  would  go  on  I  could  break  off  the  match. 
But  I  found  that  I  could  go  no  farther.  My  heart 
was  bruised,  and  my  spirits  were  broken  down.  So  I 
bid  her  farewell,  and  turned  my  loaesome  and  mis- 
erable steps  back  again  homeward,  concluding  that  I 
was  only  born  for  hardship,  misery,  and  disappoint- 
ment. I  now  began  to  think  that  in  making  me  it 
was  entirely  forgotten  to  make  my  mate  ;.  that  I  wa ; 


YOUTHFUL   ADVENTURES.  59 

born  odd,  and  should  always  remain  so,  and  that 
nobody  would  have  me. 

"  But  all  these  reflections  did  not  satisfy  my 
mind,  for  I  had  no  peace,  day  nor  night,  for  several 
weeks.  My  appetite  failed  me,  and  I  grew  daily 
worse  and  worse.  They  all  thought  I  was  sick  ;  and 
so  I  was.  And  it  was  the  worst  kind  of  sickness,  a 
sickness  of  the  heart,  and  all  the  tender  parts,  pro- 
duced by  disappointed  love." 

For  some  time  David  continued  in  a  state  of 
great  dejection,  a  lovelorn  swain  of  seventeen 
years.  Thus  disconsolate,  he  loved  to  roam  the 
forest  alone,  with  his  rifle  as  his  only  companion, 
brooding  over  his  sorrows.  The  gloom  of  the 
forest  was  congenial  to  him,  and  the  excitement  of 
pursuing  the  game  afforded  some  slight  relief  to  his 
agitated  spirit.  One  day,  when  he  had  wandered 
far  from  home,  he  came  upon  the  cabin  of  a  Dutchman 
with  whom  he  had  formed  some  previous  acquaint- 
ance. He  had  a  daughter,  who  was  exceedingly 
plain  in  her  personal  appearance,  but  who  had  a  very 
active  mind,  and  was  a  bright,  talkative  girl. 

She  had  heard  of  David's  misadventure,  and 
rather  unfeelingly  rallied  him  upon  his  loss.  She 
however  endeavored  to  comfort  him  by  the  assur- 
ance that  there  were  as  good  fish  in  the  sea  as  had 
ever  been  caught  out  of  it.  David  did  not  believe 


60  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

in  this  doctrine  at  all,  as  applied  to  his  own  case. 
He  thought  his  loss  utterly  irretrievable.  And  in 
his  still  high  appreciation  of  himself,  notwithstand- 
ing his  deep  mortification,  he  thought  that  the  lively 
Dutch  girl  was  endeavoring  to  catch  him  for  her 
lover.  In  this,  however,  he  soon  found  himself  mis- 
taken. 

She  told  him  that  there  was  to  be  a  reaping 
frolic  in  their  neighborhood  in  a  few  days,  and  that 
if  he  would  attend  it,  she  would  show  him  one  of 
the  prettiest  girls  upon  whom  he  ever  fixed  his 
eyes.  Difficult  as  he  found  it  to  shu-t  out  from  his 
mind  his  lost  love,  upon  whom  his  thoughts  were 
dwelling  by  day  and  by  night,  he  very  wisely  de- 
cided that  his  best  remedy  would  be  found  in  what 
Dr.  Chalmers  calls  "  the  expulsive  power  of  a  new 
affection  ;  "  that  is,  that  he  would  try  and  fall  in  love 
with  some  other  girl  as  soon  as  possible.  His  own 
language,  in  describing  his  feelings  at  that  time,  is 
certainly  very  different  from  that  which  the  philoso- 
pher or  the  modern  novelist  would  have  used,  but 
it  is  quite  characteristic  of  the  man.  The  Dutch 
maiden  assured  him  that  the  girl  who  had  de- 
ceived him  was  not  to  be  compared  in  beauty 
with  the  one  she  would  show  to  him.  He  writes: 

"  I  didn't  believe  a  word  of  all  this,  for  I  had 
thought  that  such  a  piece  of  flesh  and  blood  as  she 


YOUTHFUL  ADVENTURES.  6l 

had  never  been  manufactured,  and  never  would 
again.  I  agreed  with  her  that  the  little  varmint 
had  treated  me  so  bad  that  I  ought  to  forget  her, 
and  yet  I  couldn't  do  it.  I  concluded  that  the  best 
way  to  accomplish  it  was  to  cut  out  again,  and  see 
if  I  could  find  any  other  that  would  answer  me  ; 
and  so  I  told  the  Dutch  girl  that  I  would  be  at  the 
reaping,  and  would  bring  as  many  as  I  could  with 
me." 

David  seems  at  this  time  to  have  abandoned  all 
constant  industry,  and  to  be  loafing  about  with  his 
rifle,  thus  supporting  himself  with  the  game  he 
took.  He  traversed  the  still  but  slightly  broken 
forest  in  all  directions,  carrying  to  many  scattered 
farm-houses  intelligence  of  the  approaching  reaping 
frolic.  He  informed  the  good  Quaker  with  whom 
he  had  worked  of  his  intention  to  be  there.  Mr. 
Kennedy  endeavored  .to  dissuade  him.  He  said  that 
there  would  be  much  bad  company  there  ;  that  there 
would  be  drinking  and  carousing,  and  that  David 
had  been  so  good  a  boy  that  he  should  be  very 
sorry  to  have  him  get  a  bad  name. 

The  curiosity  of  the  impetuous  young  man  was, 
however,  by  this  time,  too  much  aroused  for  any 
persuasions  to  hold  him  back.  Shouldering  his 
rifle,  he  hastened  to  the  reaping  at  the  appointed 
day.  Upon  his  arrival  at  the  place  he  found  a  large 


62  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

company  already  assembled.  He  looked  around  for 
the  pretty  girl,  but  she  was  nowhere  to  be  seen. 
She  chanced  to  be  in  a  shed  frolicking  with  some 
others  of  the  young  people. 

But  as  David,  with  his  rifle  on  his  shoulder,  saun- 
tered around,  an  aged  Irish  woman,  full  of  nerve  and 
volubility,  caught  sight  of  him.  She  was  the  mo- 
ther of  the,  girl,  and  had  been  told  of  the  object  of 
David's  visit.  He  must  have  appeared  very  boyish, 
for  he  had  not  yet  entered  his  eighteenth  year,  and 
though  very  wiry  and  athletic,  he  was  of  slender 
frame,  and  rather  small  in  stature. 

The  Irish  woman  hastened  to  David  ;  lavished 
upon  him  compliments  respecting  his  rosy  cheeks, 
and  assured  him  that  she  had  exactly  such  a  sweet- 
heart for  him  as  he  needed.  She  did  not  allow 
David  to  have  any  doubt  that  she  would  gladly  wel- 
come him  as  the  husband  of  her  daughter. 

Pretty  soon  the  young,  fresh,  blooming,  mirthful 
girl  came  along ;  and  David  fell  in  love  with  her  at 
first  sight.  Not  much  formality  of  introduction  was 
necessary  :  each  was  looking  for  the  other.  Both  of 
the  previous  loves  of  the  young  man  were  forgotten 
in  an  instant.  He  devoted  himself  with  the  utmost 
assiduity,  to  the  little  Irish  girl.  He  was  soon 
dancing  with  her.  After  a  very  vigorous  "  double 
shuffle,"  as  they  \vere  seated  side  by  side  on  a  bench 


YOUTHFUL   ADVENTURES.  63 

intensely  talking,  for  David  Crockett  was  never  at  a 
loss  for  words,  the  mother  came  up,  and,  in  her 
wonderfully  frank  mode  of  match-making,  jocosely 
addressed  him  as  her  son-in-law. 

Even  David's  imperturbable  self-possession  was 
disturbed  by  this  assailment.  Still  he  was  much 
pleased  to  find  both  mother  and  daughter  so  favor- 
ably disposed  toward  him.  The  rustic  frolicking 
continued  nearly  all  night.  In  the  morning,  David, 
in  a  very  happy  frame  of  mind,  returned  to  the 
Quaker's,  and  in  anticipation  of  soon  setting  up 
farming  for  himself,  engaged  to  work  for  him  for  six 
months  for  a  low-priced  horse. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Marriage  and  Settlement. 

Rustic  Courtship. — The  Rival  Lover. — Romantic  Incident. — The 
Purchase  of  a  Horse. — The  Wedding. — Singular  Ceremonies. — 
The  Termagant. — Bridal  Days. — They  commence  Housekeep- 
ing.— The  Bridal  Mansion  and  Outfit. — Family  Possessions. — 
The  Removal  to  Central  Tennessee. — Mode  of  Transportation. — 
The  New  Home  and  its  Surroundings. — Busy  Idleness. — The 
Third  Move. — The  Massacre  at  Fort  Mimms. 

DAVID  took  possession  of  his  horse,  and  began 
to  work  very  diligently  to  pay  for  it.  He  felt  that 
now  he  was  a  man  of  property.  After  the  lapse  of 
a  few  weeks  he  mounted  his  horse  and  rode  over  to 
the  Irishman's  cabin  to  see  his  girl,  and  to  find  out 
how  she  lived,  and  what  sort  of  people  composed 
the  family.  Arriving  at  the  log  hut,  he  found  the 
father  to  be  a  silent,  staid  old  man,  and  the  mother 
as  voluble  and  nervous  a  little  woman  as  ever  lived. 
Much  to  his  disappointment,  the  girl  was  away. 
After  an  hour  or  two  she  returned,  having  been 
absent  at  some  meeting  or  merry-making,  and,  much 
to  his  chagrin',  she  brought  back  with  her  a  stout 
young  fellow  who  was  evidently  her  lover. 


MARRIAGE  AND   SETTLEMENT.  6$ 

The  new-comer  was  not  at  all  disposed  to  relin- 
quish his  claims  in  favor  of  David  Crockett.  He 
stuck  close  to  the  maiden,  and  kept  up  such  an 
incessant  chatter  that  David  could  scarcely  edge  in 
a  word.  In  characteristic  figure  of  speech  he  says, 
"  I  began  to  think  I  was  barking  up  the  wrong  tree 
again.  But  I  determined  to  stand  up  to  my  rack, 
fodder  or  no  fodder."  He  thought  he  was  sure  of 
the  favor  of  her  parents,  and  he  was  not  certain  that 
the  girl  herself  had  not  given  him  sundry  glances 
indicative  of  her  preference.  Dark  night  was  now 
coming  on,  and  David  had  a  rough  road  of  fifteen 
miles  to  traverse  through  the  forest  before  he  could 
reach  home.  He  thought  that  if  the  Irishman's 
daughter  cherished  any  tender  feelings  toward  him, 
she  would  be  reluctant  to  have  him  set  out  at  that 
late  hour  on  such  a  journey.  He  therefore  rose  to 
take  leave. 

His  stratagem  proved  successful.  The  girl 
immediately  came,  leaving  her  other  companion, 
and  in  earnest  tones  entreated  him  not  to  go  that 
evening.  The  lover  was  easily  persuaded.  His 
heart  grew  lighter  and  his  spirit  bolder.  She  soon 
made  it  so  manifest  in  what  direction  her  choice  lay, 
that  David  was  left  entire  master  of  the  field.  His 
discomfited  rival  soon  took  his  hat  and  withdrew. 
David  thus  was  freed  from  all  his  embarrassments. 


66  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

It  was  Saturday  night.  He  remained  at  the 
cabin  until  Monday  morning,  making  very  diligent 
improvement  of  his  time  in  the  practice  of  all  those 
arts  of  rural  courtship  which  instinct  teaches.  He 
then  returned  home,  not  absolutely  engaged,  but 
with  very  sanguine  hopes. 

At  that  time,  in  that  region,  wolves  were  abund- 
ant and  very  destructive.  The  neighbors,  for  quite 
a  distance,  combined  for  a  great  wolf-hunt,  which 
should  explore  the  forest  for  many  miles.  By  the 
hunters  thus  scattering  on  the  same  day,  the  wolves 
would  have  no  place  of  retreat.  If  they  fled  before 
one  hunter  they  would  encounter  another.  Young 
Crockett,  naturally  confident,  plunged  recklessly 
into  the  forest,  and  wandered  to  and  fro  until,  to  his 
alarm,  he  found  himself  bewildered  and  utterly  lost. 
There  were  no  signs  of  human  habitations  near,  and 
night  was  fast  darkening  around  him. 

Just  as  he  was  beginning  to  feel  that  he  must 
look  out  for  a  night's  encampment,  he  saw  in  the 
distance,  through  the  gigantic  trees,  a  young  girl 
running  at  her  utmost  speed,  or,  as  he  expressed  it  in 
the  Crockett  vernacular,  "  streaking  it  along  through 
the  woods  like  all  wrath."  David  gave  chase,  and 
soon  overtook  the  terrified  girl,  whom  he  found,  to 
his  surprise  and  delight,  to  be  his  own  sweetheart, 
who  had  also  by  some  strange  accident  got  lost. 


MARRIAGE  AND   SETTLEMENT.  67 

Here  was  indeed  a  romantic  and  somewhat  an 
embarrassing  adventure.  The  situation  was,  how- 
ever, by  no  means  so  embarrassing  as  it  would  have 
been  to  persons  in  a  higher  state  of  civilization. 
The  cabin  of  the  emigrant  often  consisted  of  but 
one  room,  where  parents  and  children  and  the  chance 
guest  passed  the  night  together.  They  could  easily 
throw  up  a  camp.  David  with  his  gun  could  kindle 
a  fire  and  get  some  game.  The  girl  could  cook  it. 
All  their  physical  wants  would  thus  be  supplied. 
They  had  no  material  inconveniences  to  dread  in 
camping  out  for  a  night.  The  delicacy  of  the  situa- 
tion would  not  be  very  keenly  felt  by  persons  who 
were  at  but  one  remove  above  the  native  Indian. 

The  girl  had  gone  out  in  the  morning  into  the 
woods,  to  hunt  up  one  of  her  father's  horses.  She 
missed  her  way,  became  lost,  and  had  been  wander- 
ing all  day  long  farther  and  farther  from  home. 
Soon  after  the  two  met  they  came  across  a  path 
which  they  knew  must  lead  to  some  house.  Fol- 
lowing this,  just  after  dark  they  came  within  sight 
of  the  dim  light  of  a  cabin  fire.  They  were  kindly 
received  by  the  inmates,  and,  tired  as  they  were, 
they  both  sat  up  all  night.  Upon  inquiry  they 
found  that  David  had  wandered  ten  miles  from  his 
home, 'and  the  young  girl  seven  from  hers.  Their 
paths  lay  in  different  directions,  but  the  road  was 


68  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

plain,  and  in  the  morning  they  separated,  and  with- 
out difficulty  reached  their  destination. 

David  was  now  anxious  to  get  married  imme- 
diately. It  will  be  remembered  that  he  had  bought  a 
horse ;  but  he  had  not  paid  for  it.  The  only  prop- 
erty he  had,  except  the  coarse  clothes  upon  his  back, 
was  a  rifle.  All  the  land  in  that  neighborhood  was 
taken  up.  He  did  not  even  own  an  axe  with  which 
to  build  him  a  log  cabin.  It  would  be  necessary  for 
him  to  hire  some  deserted  shanty,  and  borrow  such 
articles  as  were  indispensable.  Nothing  could  be 
done  to  any  advantage  without  a  horse.  To  dimin- 
ish the  months  which  he  had  promised  to  work  in 
payment  for  the  animal,  he  threw  in  his  rifle. 

After  a  few  weeks  of  toil  the  horse  was  his.  He 
mounted  his  steed,  deeming  himself  one  of  the 
richest  men  in  the  far  West,  and  rode  to  see  his  girl 
and  fix  upon  his  wedding-day.  He  confesses  that 
as  he  rode  along,  considering  that  he  had  been  twice 
disappointed,  he  experienced  no  inconsiderable 
trepidation  as  to  the  result  of  this  third  matrimo- 
nial enterprise.  He  reached  the  cabin,  and  his  worst 
fears  were  realized. 

The  nervous,  voluble,  irritable  little  woman, 
who  with  all  of  a  termagant's  energy  governed  both 
husband  and  family,  had  either  become  dissatisfied 
with  young  Crockett's  poverty,  or  had  formed  the 


MARRIAGE   AND   SETTLEMENT.  69 

plan  of  some  other  more  ambitious  alliance  for  her 
daughter.  She  fell  upon  David  in  a  perfect  tornado 
of  vituperation,  and  ordered  him  out  of  the  house. 
She  was  "  mighty  wrathy,"  writes  David,  "  and 
looked  at  me  as  savage  as  a  meat-axe." 

David  was  naturally  amiable,  and  in  the  depress- 
ing circumstances  had  no  heart  to  return  railing 
for  railing.  He  meekly  reminded  the  infuriate 
woman  that  she  had  called  him  "  son-in-law"  before 
he  had  attempted  to  call  her  "  mother-in-law,"  and 
that  he  certainly  had  been  guilty  of  no  conduct 
which  should  expose  him  to  such  treatment.  He 
soon  saw,  to  his  great  satisfaction,  that  the  daughter 
remained  faithful  to  him,  and  that  the  meek  father 
was  as  decidedly  on  his  side  as  his  timid  nature 
would  permit  him  to  be.  Though  David  felt  much 
insulted,  he  restrained  his  temper,  and,  turning  from 
the  angry  mother,  told  her  daughter  that  he  would 
come  the  next  Thursday  on  horseback,  leading  an- 
other horse  for  her ;  and  that  then  he  would  take 
her  to  a  justice  of  the  peace  who  lived  at  the  dis- 
tance of  but  a  few  miles  from  them,  where  they 
would  be  married.  David  writes  of  the  mother  : 

"  Her  Irish  was  too  high  to  do  anything  with 
her ;  so  I  quit  trying.  All  I  cared  for  was  to  have 
her  daughter  on  my  side,  which  I  know'd  was  the 
case  then.  But  how  soon  some  other  fellow  might 


70  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

knock  my  nose  out  of  joint  again,  I  couldn't  tell. 
Her  mother  declared  I  shouldn't  have  her.  But  I 
knowed  I  should,  if  somebody  else  didn't  get  her 
before  Thursday." 

The  all -important  wedding-day  soon  came. 
David  was  resolved  to  crush  out  all  opposition  and 
consummate  the  momentous  affair  with  very  con- 
siderable splendor.  He  therefore  rode  to  the  cabin 
with  a  very  imposing  retinue.  Mounted  proudly 
upon  his  own  horse,  and  leading  a  borrowed  steed, 
with  a  blanket  saddle,  for-  his  bride,  and  accompa- 
nied by  his  elder  brother  and  wife  and  a  younger 
brother  and  sister,  each  on  horseback,  he  "  cut  out 
to  her  father's  house  to  get  her." 

When  this  cavalcade-  of  six  horses  had  arrived 
within  about  two  miles  of  the  Irishman's  cabin, 
quite  a  large  party  was  found  assembled  from  the 
log  huts  scattered  several  miles  around.  David, 
kind-hearted,  generous,  obliging,  was  very  popular 
with  his  neighbors.  They  had  heard  of  the  ap- 
proaching nuptials  of  the  brave  boy  of  but  eighteen 
years,  and  of  the  wrath  of  the  brawling,  ill-tempered 
mother.  They  anticipated  a  scene,  and  wished  to 
render  David  the  support  of  their  presence  and 
sympathy.  This  large  party,  some  on  foot  'and 
some  on  horseback,  proceeded  together  to  the  Irish- 
man's cabin.  The  old  man  met  them  with  smiles, 


MARRIAGE   AND   SETTLEMENT.  7 1 

whiskey  bottle  in  hand,  ready  to  offer  them  all  a 
drink.  The  wife,  however,  was  obdurate  as  ever. 
She  stood  at  the  cabin  door,  her  eyes  flashing  fire, 
and  quite  bewildered  to  decide  in  what  way  to 
attempt  to  repel  and  drive  off  her  foe. 

She  expected  that  the  boy  would  come  alone, 
and  that,  with  her  all-potent  tongue,  she  would  so 
fiercely  assail  him  and  so  frighten  her  young  girl  as 
still  to  prevent  the  marriage.  But  here  was  quite 
an  army  of  the  neighbors,  from  miles  around, 
assembled.  They  were  all  evidently  the  friends  of 
David.  Every  eye  was  fixed  upon  her.  Every  ear 
was  listening  to  hear  what  she  would  say.  Every 
tongue  was  itching  to  cry  out  shame  to  her  opposi- 
tion, and  to  overwhelm  her  with  reproaches.  For 
once  the  termagant  found  herself  baffled,  and  at  her 
wits'  end. 

The  etiquette  of  courts  and  cabins  are  quite  dif- 
ferent. David  paid  no  attention  to  the  mother, 
but  riding  up  to  the  door  of  the  log  house,  leading 
the  horse  for  his  bride,  he  shouted  to  her  to  come 
out.  The  girl  had  enjoyed  no  opportunity  to  pay 
any  attention  to  her  bridal  trousseau.  But  undoubt- 
edly she  had  contrived  to  put  on  her  best  attire. 
We  do  not  know  her  age,  but  she  was  ever  spoken 
of  as  a  remarkably  pretty  little  girl,  and  was  proba- 
bly about  seventeen  years  old. 


72  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

David  did  not  deem  it  necessary  to  dismount, 
but  called  upon  his  "  girl  "  to  jump  upon  the  horse 
he  was  leading.  She  did  so.  The  mother  was 
powerless.  It  was  a  Waterloo  defeat.  In  another 
moment  they  would  disappear,  riding  away  along 
the  road,  which  wound  through  the  gigantic  trees  of 
the  forest.  'In  another  hour  they  would  be  married. 
And  then  they  would  forever  be  beyond  the  reach 
of  the  clamor  of  her  voluble  tongue.  She  began  to 
relent.  The  old  man,  accustomed  to  her  wayward 
humors,  instinctively  perceived  it.  Stepping  up  to 
David,  and  placing  his  hand  upon  the  neck  of  his 
horse,  he  said  : 

"  I  wish  you  would  stay  and  be  .married  here. 
My  woman  has  too  much  tongue.  You  oughtn't 
mind  her." 

Having  thus,  for  a  moment,  arrested  their  depart- 
ure, he  stepped  back  to  the  door,  where  his  discom- 
fited wife  stood,  and  entreated  her  to  consent  to 
their  being  married  there.  After  much  persuasion, 
common  sense  triumphed  over  uncommon  stubborn- 
ness. She  consented.  David  and  his  expectant 
bride  were  both  on  horseback,  all  ready  to  go.  The 
woman  rather  sullenly  came  forward  and  said : 

"  I  am  sorry  for  the  words  I  have  spoken.  This 
girl  is  the  only  child  I  have  ever  had  to  marry.  I 
cannot  bear  to  see  her  go  off  in  this  way.  If  you'll 


MARRIAGE  AND   SETTLEMENT.  73 

come  into  the  house  and  be  married  here,  I  will  do 
the  best  I  can  for  you." 

The  good-natured  David  consented.  They 
alighted  from  their  horses,  and  the  bridal  party  en- 
tered the  log  hut.  The  room  was  not  large,  and  the 
uninvited  guests  thronged  it  and  crowded  around 
the  door.  The  justice  of  peace  was  sent  for,  and  the 
nuptial  knot  was  tied. 

The  wedding  ceremonies  on  such  occasions  were 
sufficiently  curious  to  be  worthy  of  record.  They  cer- 
tainly were  in  very  wide  contrast  with  the  pomp  and 
splendor  of  nuptials  in  the  palatial  mansions  of  the 
present  day.  A  large  party  usually  met  at  some  ap- 
pointed place,  some  mounted  and  others  on  foot,  to 
escort  the  bridegroom  to  the  house  of  the  bride.  The 
horses  were  decorated  with  all  sorts  of  caparisons, 
with  ropes  for  bridles,  with  blankets  or  furs  for  sad- 
dles. The  men  were  dressed  in  deerskin  moccasins, 
leather  breeches,  leggins,  coarse  hunting-shirts  of  all 
conceivable  styles  of  material,  and  all  homemade. 

The  women  wore  gowns  of  very  coarse  home- 
spun and  home-woven  cloth,  composed  of  linen  and 
wool,  and  called  linsey-woolsey,  very  coarse  shoes, 
and  sometimes  with  buckskin  gloves  of  their  own 
manufacture.  If  any  one  chanced  to  have  a  ring  or 
pretty  buckle,  it  was  a  relic  of  former  times. 

There  were  no  carriages,  for  there  were  no  roads. 
4 


74  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

The  narrow  trail  they  traversed  in  single  file  was 
generally  a  mere  horse-path,  often  so  contracted  in 
width  that  two  horses  could  not  pass  along  abreast. 
As  they  marched  along  in  straggling  line,  with 
shouts  and  jokes,  and  with  the  interchange  of  many 
gallant  acts  of  rustic  love-making  between  the 
coquettish  maidens  and  the  awkward  swains,  they 
encountered  frequent  obstacles  on  the  way.  It  was 
a  part  of  the  frolic  for  the  young  men  to  throw 
obstructions  in  their  path,  and  thus  to  create  sur- 
prises. There  were  brooks  to  be  forded.  Some- 
times large  trees  were  mischievously  felled  across 
the  trail.  Grape-vines  were  tied  across  from  tree  to 
tree,  to  trip  up  the  passers-by  or  to  sweep  off  their 
caps.  It  was  a  great  joke  for  half  a  dozen  young 
men  to  play  Indian.  They  would  lie  in  ambuscade, 
and  suddenly,  as  the  procession  was  passing,  would 
raise  the  war-whoop,  discharge  their  guns,  and  raise 
shouts  of  laughter  in  view  of  the  real  or  feigned  con- 
sternation thus  excited. 

.  The  maidens  would  of  course  shriek.  The  fright- 
ened horses  would  spring  aside.  The  swains  would 
gallantly  rush  to  the  rescue  of  their  sweethearts. 
When  the  party  had  arrived  within  about  a  mile  of 
the  house  where  the  marriage  ceremony  was  to  take 
place,  two  of  the  most  daring  riders  among  the 
young  men  who  had  been  previously  selected  for 


MARRIAGE  AND   SETTLEMENT.  75 

the  purpose,  set  out  on  horseback  on  a  race  for  "  the 
"bottle."  The  master  of  the  house  was  expected  to 
be  standing  at  his  door,  with  a  jug  of  whiskey  in  his 
hand.  This  was  the  prize  which  the  victor  in  the 
race  was  to  seize  and  take  back  in  triumph  to  his 
companions. 

The  start  was  announced  by  a  general  Indian 
yell.  The  more  rough  the  road — the  more  full  of 
logs,  stumps,  rocks,  precipitous  hills,  and  steep  glens, 
the  better.  This  afforded  a  better  opportunity  for 
the  display  of  intrepidity  and  horsemanship.  It 
was  a  veritable  steeple-chase.  The  victor  announced 
his  success  by  one  of  those  shrill,  savage  yells,  which 
would  almost  split  the  ears  of  the  listener.  Grasp- 
ing the  bottle,  he  returned  in  triumph.  On  ap- 
proaching the  party,  he  again  gave  forth  the  Indian 
war-whoop. 

The  bottle  or  jug  was  first  presented  to  the 
bridegroom.  He  applied  the  mouth  of  the  bottle 
to  his  lips,  and  took  a  dram  of  raw  whiskey.  He 
then  handed  it  to  his  next  of  kin,  ahd  so  the  bottle 
passed  through  the  whole  company.  It  is  to  be 
supposed  that  the  young  women  did  not  burn  their 
throats  with  very  copious  drafts  of  the  poisonous 
fire-water. 

When  they  arrived  at  the  house,  the  brief  cere- 
mony of  marriage  immediately  took  place,  and  then 


76  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

came  the  marriage  feast.  It  was  a  very  substantial 
repast  of  pork,  poultry,  wild  turkeys,  venison,  and 
bear's  meat.  There  was  usually  the  accompani- 
ment of  corn-bread,  potatoes,  and  other  vegetables. 
Great  hilarity  prevailed  on  these  occasions,  with 
wonderful  freedom  of  manners,  coarse  jokes,  and 
shouts  of  laughter. 

The  table  was  often  a  large  slab  of  timber,  hewn 
out  with  a  broad-axe,  and  supported  by  four  stakes 
driven  into  auger-holes.  The  table  furniture  con- 
sisted of  a  few  pewter  dishes,  with  wooden  plates 
and  bowls.  There  were  generally  a  few  pewter 
spoons,  much  battered  about  the  edges,  but  most 
of  the  spoons  were  of  horn,  homemade.  Crockery,  so 
easily  broken,  was  almost  unknown.  Table  knives 
were  seldom  seen.  The  deficiency  was  made  up  by 
the  hunting-knives  which  all  the  men  carried  in 
sheaths  attached  to  their  hunting-shirts. 

After  dinner  the  dancing  began.  There  was 
invariably  some  musical  genius  present  who  could 
play  the  fiddle.  The -dances  were  what  were  called 
three  or  four  handed  reels,  or  square  sets  and  jigs. 
With  all  sorts  of  grotesque  attitudes,  pantomime 
and  athletic  displays,  the  revelry  continued  until  late 
into  the  night,  and  often  until  the  dawn  of  the  morn- 
ing. As  there  could  be  no  sleeping  "accommoda- 
tions for  so  large  a  company  in  the  cabin  of  but 


MARRIAGE  AND   SETTLEMENT.  77 

one  room,  the  guests  made  up  for  sleep  in  merri- 
ment. 

The  bridal  party  stole  away  in  the  midst  of  the 
uproar,  one  after  another,  up  a  ladder  into  the  loft 
or  garret  above,  which  was  floored  with  loose  boards- 
made  often  of  split  timber.  This  furnished  a  very 
rude  sleeping  apartment.  As  the  revelry  below 
continued,  seats  being  scarce,  every  young  man 
offered  his  lap  as  a  seat  for  the  girls ;  and  the  offer 
was  always  promptly  accepted.  Always,  toward 
morning,  some  one  was  sent  up  into  the  loft  with  a 
bottle  of  whiskey,  to  offer  the  bridegroom  and  his 
bride  a  drink.  The  familiar  name  of  the  bottle  was 
"  Black  Betty."  One  of  the  witticisms  ever  promi- 
nent on  the  occasion  was,  "Where  is  Black  Betty? 
I  want  to  kiss  her  sweet  lips."  At  some  splendid 
weddings,  where  the  larder  was  abundantly  stored 
with  game,  this  feasting  and  dancing  was  continued 
for  several  days. 

Such,  in  the  main,  was  the  wedding  of  David 
Crockett  with  the  Irishman's  daughter.  In  the 
morning  the  company  dispersed.  David  also  and 
his  young  bride  left,  during  the  day,  for  his  father's 
cabin.  As  the  families  of  the  nuptial  party  both 
belonged  to  the  "aristocracy  of  the  region,  quite  a 
splendid  marriage  reception  was  held  at  John 
Crockett's.  There  were  feasting  and  dancing  ;  and 


78  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

"Black  Betty  "  received  many  a  cordial  kiss.  The 
bridegroom's  heart  was  full  of  exultant  joy.  David 
writes : 

"  Having  gotten  my  wife,  I  thought  I  was  com- 
pletely made  up,  and  needed  nothing  more  in  the 
whole  world." 

He  soon  found  his  mistake,  and  awoke  to  the 
consciousness  that  he  needed  everything,  and  had 
nothing.  He  had  no  furniture,  no  cabin,  no  land, 
no  money.  And  he  had  a  wife  to  support.  His 
only  property  consisted  of  a  cheap  horse.  He  did 
not  even  own  a  rifle,  an  article  at  that  time  so 
indispensable  to  the  backwoodsman. 

After  spending  a  few  days  at  David's  father's, 
the  bridegroom  and  bride  returned  to  the  cabin  of 
her  father,  the  Irishman.  Here  they  found  that  a 
wonderful  change  had  taken  place  in  the  mother's 
feelings  and  conduct.  She  had  concluded  to  submit 
good-naturedly  to  the  inevitable.  Her  "conversa- 
tional powers "  were  wonderful.  With  the  most 
marvellous  volubility  of  honeyed  words  she  greeted 
them.  She  even  consented  to  have  two  cows  given 
them,  each  with  a  calf.  This  was  the  dowry  of  the 
bride — her  only  dowry.  David,  who  had  not 
expected  anything,  felt  exceedingly  rich  with  this 
herd. 

Near  by  there  was  a  vacated  log  cabin  with  a 


MARRIAGE  AND   SETTLEMENT.  79 

few  acres  of  land  attached  to  it.  Our  boy  bride- 
groom and  bride  hired  the  cabin  at  a  very  small  .rent. 
But  then  they  had  nothing  whatever  to  put  into  it. 
They  had  not  a  bed,  or  a  table  or  a  chair ;  no  cooking 
utensils;  not  even  a  knife  or  a  fork.  He  had  no 
farming  tools ;  not  a  spade  or  a  hoe.  The  whole 
capital  with  which  they  commenced  life  consisted 
of  the  clothes  they  had  on,  a  farm-horse,  two  cows, 
and  two  calves. 

In  this  emergence  the  good  old  Quaker,  for 
whom  David  had  worked,  came  forward,  and  loaned 
him  fifteen  dollars.  In  that  wilderness,  food,  that  is 
game  and  corn,  was  cheap.  But  as  nearly  every- 
thing else  had  to  be  brought  from  beyond  the  moun- 
tains, all  tools  and  furniture  commanded  high  prices. 
With  the  fifteen  dollars,  David  and  his  little  wife 
repaired  to  a  country  store  a  few  miles  distant, 
to  furnish  their  house  and  farm.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances, the  china-closet  of  the  bride  must 
have  been  a  curiosity.  David  says,  "  With  this 
fifteen  dollars  we  fixed  up  pretty  grand,  as  we 
thought." 

After  a  while,  in  some  unexplained  way,  they 
succeeded  in  getting  a  spinning-wheel.  The  little 
wife,  says  David,  "  knowed  exactly  how  to  use  it. 
She  was  also  a  good  weaver.  Being  very  industri- 
ous, she  had,  in  little  or  no  time,  a  fine  web  of  cloth 


80  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

ready  to  make  up.  !  She  was  good  at  that  too,  and 
at  almost  anything  else  a  woman  could  do." 

Here  this  humble  family  remained  for  two  years. 
They  were  both  as  contented  with  their  lot  as  other 
people  are.  They  were  about  as  well  off  as  most  of 
their  neighbors.  Neither  of  them  ever  cherished  a 
doubt  that  they  belonged  to  the  aristocracy  of  the 
region.  They  did  not  want  for  food  or  clothing,  or 
shelter,  or  a  warm  fireside.  They  had  their  merry- 
makings, their  dances,  and  their  shooting-matches. 
Let  it  be  remembered  that  this  was  three  quarters 
of  a  century  ago,  far  away  in  the  wilds  of  an  almost 
untamed  wilderness. 

Two  children  were  born  in  this  log  cabin.  David 
began  to  feel  the  responsibilities  of  a  father  who 
had  children  to  provide  for.  Both  of  the  children 
were  sons.  Though  David's  family  was  increasing, 
there  was  scarcely  any  increase  of  his  fortune.  He 
therefore  decided  that  the  interests  of  his  little 
household  demanded  that  he  should  move  still 
farther  back  into  the  almost  pathless  wilderness, 
where  the  land  was  not  yet  taken  up,  and  where  he 
could  get  a  settler's  title  to  four  hundred  acres, 
simply  by  rearing  a  cabin  and  planting  some  corn. 

He  had  one  old  horse,  and  a  couple  of  colts, 
each  two  years  old.  The  colts  were  broken,  as  it 
was  called,  to  the  halter ;  that  is,  they  could  be  led, 


MARRIAGE  AND   SETTLEMENT.  8 1 

with  light  burdens  upon  their  backs,  but  could  not 
be  ridden.  Mrs.  Crockett  mounted-  the  old  horse, 
with  her  babe  in  her  arms,  and  the  little  boy,  two 
years  old,  sitting  in  front  of  her,  astride  the  horse's 
neck,  and  occasionally  carried  on  his  father's  shoul- 
ders. Their  few  articles  of  household  goods  were 
fastened  upon  the  backs  of  the  two  colts.  David 
led  one,  and  his  kind-hearted  father-in-law,  who  had 
very  generously  offered  to  help  him  move,  led  the 
other.  Thus  this  party  set  out  for  a  journey  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  over  unbridged  rivers, 
across  rugged  mountains,  and  through  dense  forests, 
whose  Indian  trails  had  seldom  if  ever  been  trodden 
by  the  feet  of  white  men. 

This  was  about  the  year  1806.  The  whole  pop- 
ulation of  the  State  then  amounted  to  but  about 
one  hundred  thousand.  They  were  generally  wide- 
ly dispersed  through  the  extensive  regions  of  -East 
Tennessee.  But  very  few  emigrants  had  ventured 
across  the  broad  and  rugged  cliffs  of  the  Cumber- 
land Mountains  into  the  rich  and  sunny  plains  of 
Western  Tennessee.  But  a  few  years  before,  terri- 
ble Indian  wars  desolated  the  State.  The  powerful 
tribes  of  the  Creeks  and  Cherokees  had  combined 
all  their  energies  for  the  utter  extermination  of  the 
white  men,  seeking  to  destroy  all  their  hamlets  and 
scattered  cabins. 
4* 


82  DAVID  CROCKETT. 

At  a  slow  foot-pace  the  pioneers  followed  down 
the  wild  valley  of  the  Holston  River,  often  with 
towering  mountains  rising  upon  each  side  of 
them.  If  they  chanced,  at  nightfall,  to  approach 
the  lonely  hut  of  a  settler,  it  was  especial  good  for- 
tune, as  they  thus  found  shelter  provided,  and  a  fire 
built,  and  hospitable  entertainment  ready  for  them. 
If,  however,  they  were  overtaken  in  the  wilderness 
by  darkness,  and  even  a  menacing  storm,  it  was  a 
matter  of  but  little  moment,  and  caused  no  anxiety. 
A  shelter,  of  logs  and  bark,  was  soon  thrown  up, 
with  a  crackling  fire,  illuminating  the  wilderness, 
blazing  before  it.  A  couch,  as  soft  as  they  had  ever 
been  accustomed  to,  could  speedily  be  spread  from 
the  pliant  boughs  of  trees.  Upon  the  pack-colts 
there  were  warm  blankets.  And  during  the  journey 
of  the  day  they  had  enjoyed  ample  opportunity  to 
take  such  game  as  they  might  need  for  their  supper 
and  their  morning  breakfast. 

At  length  they  reached  the  majestic  flood  of  the 
Tennessee  River,  and  crossed  it,  we  know  not  how. 
Then,  directing  their  steps  toward  the  setting  sun, 
they  pressed  on,  league  after  league,  and  day  after 
day,  in  toilsome  journey,  over  prairies  and  through 
forests  and  across  mountain-ridges,  for  a  distance  of 
nearly  four  hundred  miles  from  their  starting-place, 
until  they  reached  a  small  stream,  called  Mulberry 


MARRIAGE  AND   SETTLEMENT.  83 

Creek,  which  flows  into  the  Elk  River,  in  what  is 
now  Lincoln  County.  ^ 

At  the  mouth  of  Mulberry  Creek  the  adventur- 
ous emigrant  found  his  promised  land.  It  was  in- 
deed a  beautiful  region.  The  sun  shines  upon  none 
more  so.  The  scenery,  which,  however,  probably 
had  but  few  attractions  for  David  Crockett's  unculti- 
vated eye,  was  charming.  The  soil  was  fertile.  The 
streams  abounded  with  fish  and  waterfowl ;  and 
prairie  and  forest  were  stocked  with  game.  No 
family  need  suffer  from  hunger  here,  if  the  husband 
had  a  rifle  and  knew  how  to  use  it.  A  few  hours' 
labor  would  rear  a  cabin  which  would  shut  out  wind 
and  rain  as  effectually  as  the  gorgeous  walls  of 
Windor  or  Versailles. 

No  jets  of  gas  or  gleam  of  wax  candles  ever 
illumined  an  apartment  more  brilliantly  than  the 
flashing  blaze  of  the  wood  fire.  And  though  the 
refectories  of  the  Palais  Royal  may  furnish  more 
scientific  cookery  than  the  emigrant's  hut,  they  can- 
not furnish  fatter  turkeys,  or  more  tender  venison, 
or  more  delicious  cuts  from  the  buffalo  and  the  bear 
than  are  often  found  browning  before  the  coals  of 
the  log  cabin.  And  when  we  take  into  considera- 
tion the  voracious  appetites  engendered  in  those 
wilds,  we  shall  see  that  the  emigrant  needed  not  to 


84  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

look  with  envy  upon  the  luxuriantly  spread  tables 
of  Paris  or  New  York. 

Upon  the  crystal  banks  of  the  Mulberry  River, 
David,  aided  by  his  father-in-law,  reared  his  log 
cabin.  It  is  a  remote  and  uncultivated  region  even 
now.  Then  it  was  an  almost  unbroken  wilderness, 
the  axe  of  the  settler  having  rarely  disturbed  its 
solitude. 

A  suitable  spot  for  the  cabin  was  selected,  and^a 
space  of  about  fifteen  feet  by  twenty  feet  was 
marked  out  and  smoothed  down  for  the  floor. 
There  was  no  cellar.  Trees  near  by,  of  straight 
trunks,  were  felled  and  trimmed,  and  cut  into  logs 
of  suitable  length.  These  were  piled  one  above 
another,  in  such  a  way  as  to  enclose  the  space,  and 
were  held  in  their  place  by  being  notched  at  the 
corners.  Rough  boards  were  made  for  the  roof  by 
splitting  straight-grained  logs  about  four  feet  long. 

The  door  was  made  by  cutting  or  sawing  the 
logs  on  one  side  of  the  hut,  about  three  feet  in 
width.  This  opening  was  secured  by  upright  pieces 
of  timber  pinned  to  the  end  of  the  logs.  A  similar 
opening  was  left  in  the  end  for  the  chimney,  which 
was  built  of  logs  outside  of  the  hut.  The  back  and 
jambs  of  the  fireplace  was  of  stone.  A  hole  about 
two  feet  square  constituted  the  window.  Frequently 
the  floor  was  the  smooth,  solid  earth.  A  split  slab 


MARRIAGE.  AND   SETTLEMENT.  85 

supported  by  sticks  driven  into  auger-holes,  formed 
a  table.  A  few  three-legged  stools  supplied  the 
place  of  chairs.  Some  wooden  pins,  driven  into 
holes  bored  in  the  logs,  supported  shelves.  A  bed- 
stead was  framed  by  a  network  of  poles  in  one 
corner. 

Such  was  the  home  which  David  and  his  kind 
father  reared  in  a  few  days.  It  will  be  perceived 
that  it  was  but  little  in  advance  of  the  wigwam  of 
the  Indian.  Still  it  afforded  a  comfortable  shelter 
for  men,  women,  and  children  who  had  no  aspirations 
above  a  mere  animal  life ;  who  thought  only  of 
warmth,  food,  and  clothing ;  who  had  no  conception 
of  intellectual,  moral,  or  religious  cravings. 

The  kind-hearted  father-in-law,  who  had  accom- 
panied his  children  on  foot  upon  this  long  journey, 
that  he  might  see  them  settled  in  their  own  home, 
now  bade  them  adieu,  and  retraced  the  forest  trails 
back  to  his  own  far-distant  cabin.  A  man  who 
could  develop,  unostentatiously,  such  generosity  and 
such  self-sacrifice,  must  have  possessed  some  rare 
virtues.  We  regret  our  inability  to  record  the 
name  of  one  who  thus  commands  our  esteem  and 
affection. 

In  this  humble  home,  David  Crockett  and  his 
family  resided  two  years.  He  appears  to  have 
taken  very  little  interest  in  the  improvement  of  his 


86  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

homestead.  It  must  be  admitted  that  Crockett 
belonged  to  the  class  of  what  is  called  loafers.  He 
was  a  sort  of  Rip  Van  Winkle.  The  forest  and  the 
mountain  stream  had  great  charms  for  him.  He 
loved  to  wander  in  busy  idleness  all  the  day,  with 
fishing-rod  and  rifle  ;  and  he  would  often  return  at 
night  with  a  very  ample  supply  of  game.  He  would 
then  lounge  about  his  hut,  tanning  deerskins  for 
moccasins  and  breeches,  performing  other  little 
jobs,  and  entirely  neglecting  all  endeavors  to  im- 
prove his  farm,  or  to  add  to  the  appearance  or 
comfort  of  the  miserable  shanty  which  he  called  his 
home. 

He  had  an  active  mind,  and  a  very  singular  com- 
mand of  the  language  of  low,  illiterate  life,  and 
especially  of  backwoodman's  slang.  Though  not 
exactly  a  vain  man,  his  self-confidence  was  imper- 
turdable,  and  there  was  perhaps  not  an  individual  in 
the  world  to  whom  he  looked  up  as  in  any  sense  his 
superior.  In  hunting,  his  skill  became  very  remark- 
able, and  few,  even  of  the  best  marksmen,  could 
throw  the  bullet  with  more  unerring  aim. 

At  the  close  of  two  years  of  this  listless,  solitary 
life,  Crockett,  without  any  assigned  reason,  probably 
influenced  only  by  that  vagrancy  of  spirit  which 
had  taken  entire  possession  of  the  man,  made 
another  move.  Abandoning  his  crumbling  shanty 


MARRIAGE  AND   SETTLEMENT.  87 

and  untilled  fields,  he  directed  his  steps  eastwardly 
through  the  forest,  a  distance  of  about  forty  miles, 
to  what  is  now  Franklin  County.  Here  he  reared 
another  hut,  on  the  banks  of  a  little  stream  called 
Bear's  Creek.  This  location  was  about  ten  miles 
below  the  present  hamlet  of  Winchester. 

An  event  now  took  place  which  changed  the 
whole  current  of  David  Crockett's  life,  leading  him 
from  his  lonely  cabin  and  the  peaceful  scenes  of  a 
hunter's  life  to  the  field  of  battle,  and  to  all  the 
cruel  and  demoralizing  influences  of  horrid  war. 

For  many  years  there  had  been  peace  with  the 
Indians  in  all  that  region.  But  unprincipled  and 
vagabond  white  men,  whom  no  law  in  the  wilderness 
could  restrain,  were  ever  plundering  them,  insulting 
them,  and  wantonly  shooting  them  down  on  the 
slightest  provocation.  The  constituted  authorities 
deplored  this  state  of  things,  but  could  no  more 
prevent  it  than  the  restraints  of  justice  can  prevent 
robberies  and  assassinations  in  London  or  New 
York. 

The  Indians  were  disposed  to  be  friendly. 
There  can  be  no  question  that,  but  for  these  unen- 
durable outrages,  inflicted  upon  them  by  vile  and 
fiend-like  men,  many  of  whom  had  fled  from  the 
avenging  arm  of  law,  peace  between  the  white  man 
and  the  red  man  would  have  remained  undisturbed 


88  DAVID  CROCKETT. 

In  the  extreme  southern  region  of  Alabama,  near 
the  junction  of  the  Alabama  River  with  the  almost 
equally  majestic  Tombeckbee  River,  there  had  been 
erected,  several  years  before,  for  the  protection 
of  the  emigrants,  a  fort  called  Mimms.  It  con- 
sisted of  several  Strong  log  huts,  surrounded  by 
palisades  which  enclosed  several  acres.  A  strongly 
barred  gate  afforded  entrance  to  the  area  within. 
Loop-holes  were  cut  through  the  palisades,  just 
sufficiently  large  to  allow  the  barrel  of  a  musket  to 
be  thrust  through,  and  aim.  to  be  taken. at  any 
approaching  foe. 

The  space  within  was  sufficient  to  accommodate 
several  families,  who  were 'thus  united  for  mutual 
protection.  Their  horses  and  other  cattle  could  be 
driven  within  the  enclosure  at  night.  In  case  of  a 
general  alarm,  the  pioneers,  occupying  huts  scattered 
through  the  region  for  miles  around,  could  assemble 
in  the  fort.  Their  corn-fields  were  outside,  to  culti- 
vate which,  even  in  times  of  war,  they  could  resort 
in  armed  bands,  setting  a  watch  to  give  warning  of 
any  signs  of  danger. 

The  fort  was  in  the  middle  of  a  small  and  fertile 
prairie.  The  forest-trees  were  cut  down  around,  and 
every  obstacle  removed  which  could  conceal  the 
approach  of  a  foe  or  protect  him  from  the  fire  of 
the  garrison.  The  long-continued  peace  had  caused 


MARRIAGE  AND   SETTLEMENT.  89 

vigilance  to  slumber.  A  number  of  families  resided 
in  the  fort,  unapprehensive  of  danger. 

One  evening,  a  negro  boy,  who  had  been  out  into 
the  forest  at  some  distance  from  the  fort  in  search 
of  cattle,  came  back  saying  that  he  saw  far  in  the 
distance  quite  a  number  of  Indians,  apparently 
armed  warriors.  As  it  was  known  that  the  Creek 
Indians  had  been  greatly  exasperated  by  recent 
outrages  inflicted  upon  them,  this  intelligence 
created  some  anxiety.  The  gate  was  carefully 
closed.  A  guard  was -get  through  the  night,  and 
some  slight  preparations  were  made  to  repel  an 
assault,  should  one  be  made. 

Thus  several  days  were  passed,  and  there  was  no 
attack,  and  no  signs  of  Indians  being  near.  The  gen- 
eral impression  was  that  the  timid  negro  boy  was 
the  victim  of  his  own  fears.  Many  jokes  were  per- 
petrated at  his  expense.  With  wonted  carelessness, 
all  precautions  were  forgotten,  and  the  men  sallied 
thoughtlessly  forth  to  disperse  through  the  fields  in 
their  labors. 

But  after  several  days,  the  boy  was  again  sent 
out  into  the  woods  upon  the  same  errand  as  before. 
He  was  a  timid  little  fellow,  and  had  a  great  dread 
of  the  Indian.  Tremblingly  and  cautiously  he 
threaded  the  paths  of  the  forest  for  several  miles, 
keeping  a  vigilant  lookout  for  any  signs  of  the 


90  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

savage  foe,  when  his  eye  fell  upon  a  sight  which  ap- 
palled him.  At  but  a  short  distance,  as  he  stood  con- 
cealed by  the  thickets  through  which  he  was  mov- 
ing, he  saw  several  hundred  Indian  warriors,  plumed 
and  painted,  and  armed  to  the  teeth.  They  had 
probably  just  broken  up  from  a  council,  and  were 
moving  about  among  the  trees.  His  fears  magni- 
fied their  numbers  to  thousands. 

Terror-stricken,  he  turned  for  the  fort,  and  with 
almost  the  fleetness  of  a  deer  entered  the  gate  with 
his  tidings.  Even  his  black  face  was  pallid  with 
fright,  as  he  breathlessly  told  his  story.  "The  In- 
dians," said  he,  "  were  as  many,  and  as  close  together 
as  the  trees.  There  were  thousands."  The  alarm 
was  sounded  in  the  garrison.  All  the  outsiders 
were  called  in.  The  sun  shone  serenely,  the  gentle 
breeze  swept  over  the  fertile  prairie  ;  not  a  sight  was 
to  be  seen  but  what  was  peaceful,  not  a  sound  came 
from  the  forest  but  the  songs  of  birds. 

It  was  generally  believed  that  the  silly,  cowardly 
boy  had  given  a  false  alarm.  They  cross-exam- 
ined him.  He  was  so  frightened  that  he  could  not 
tell  a  straight  story.  The  men,  indignant  at  being 
thus  a  second  time  duped,  as  they  supposed,  actually 
tied  the  poor  boy  to  the  whipping-post  and  com- 
menced whipping  him.  But  a  few  lashes  had  left 


MARRIAGE  AND   SETTLEMENT.  9! 

their  bloody  marks  upon  his  back  when  the  uplifted 
arm  of  the  executioner  was  arrested. 

The  awful  Indian  war-whoop,  the  precursor  of 
blood  and  flame  and  torture,  which  even  the  bold- 
est heart  could  seldom  hear  without  terror,  burst  as 
it  were  simultaneously  from  a  hundred  warrior  lips. 
The  wary  savages  had  provided  themselves  with 
sharpened  sticks.  Rending  the  skies  with  their 
yells,  they  rushed  forward  from  the  gloom  of  the 
woods  upon  the  totally  unprovided  garrison,  and 
very  speedily  plugged  up  the  loop-holes,  so  that  not 
a  musket  could  be  discharged  through  them. 

Then  with  their  hatchets  they  commenced  cut- 
ting down  the  palisades.  The  bewilderment  and 
consternation  within  was  indescribable.  A  few  of 
the  assailants  hewing  at  the  barricades  were  shot 
down,  but  others  instantly  took  their  places.  Soon 
a  breach  was  cut  through,  and  the  howling  warriors 
like  maddened  'demons  rushed  in.  There  was  no 
mercy  shown.  The  gleaming  tomahawk,  wielded  by 
hundreds  of  brawny  arms,  expeditiously  did  its 
work.  Men,  women,  and  children  were  indiscrimi 
nately  cut  down  and  scalped.  It  was  an  awful 
scene  of  butchery.  Scarcely  an  individual  escaped. 

One  athletic  boy,  after  having  seen  his  father, 
mother,  four  sisters,  and  four  brothers  tomahawked 
and  scalped,  pursued  by  the  savages,  with  frantic 


92  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

energy  succeeded  in  leaping  the  palisades.  Several 
Indians  gave  chase.  He  rushed  for  the  woods.  They 
hotly  pursued.  He  reached  a  sluggish  stream,  upon 
the  shore  of  which,  half-imbedded  in  sand  and  water, 
there  was  a  mouldering  log,  which  he  chanced  to 
know  was  hollow  beneath.  He  had  but  just  time  to 
slip  into  this  retreat,  when  the  baffled  Indians  came 
up.  They  actually  walked  over  the  log  in  their 
unavailing  search  for  him.  Here  he  remained  until 
night,  when  he  stole  from  his  hiding-place,  and  in 
safety  reached  Fort  Montgomery,  which  was  distant 
about  two  miles  from  Fort  Mimms. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

The  Soldier  Life. 

War  with  the  Creeks. — Patriotism  of  Crockett. — Remonstrances  of 
his  Wife. — Enlistment. — The  Rendezvous. — Adventure  of  the 
Scouts. — Friendly  Indians. — A  March  through  the  Forest. — 
Picturesque  Scene. — The  Midnight  Alarm. — March  by  Moon- 
light.— Chagrin  of  Crockett. — Advance  into  Alabama. — War's 
Desolations. — Indian  Stoicism. — Anecdotes  of  Andrew  Jackson. 
— Battles,  Carnage,  and  Woe. 

THE  awful  massacre  at  Fort  Mimms,  by  the 
Creek  Indians,  summoned,  as  with  a  trumpet  peal, 
the  whole  region  to  war.  David  Crockett  had  list- 
ened eagerly  to  stories  of  Indian  warfare  in  former 
years,  and  as  he  listened  to  the  tales  of  midnight 
conflagration  and  slaughter,  his  naturally  peaceful 
spirit  had  no  yearnings  for  the  renewal  of  such  san- 
guinary scenes.  Crockett  was  not  a  quarrelsome 
man.  He  was  not  fond  of  brawls  and  fighting. 
Nothing  in  his  life  had  thus  far  occurred  to  test  his 
courage.  Though  there  was  great  excitement  to  be 
found  in  hunting,  there  was  but  little  if  any  danger. 
The  deer  and  all  smaller  game  were  harmless.  And 
even  the  grizzly  bear  had  but  few  terrors  for  a 
marksman  who,  with  unerring  aim,  could  strike  him 


94  DAVID  CROCKETT. 

with  the  deadly  bullet  at  the  distance  of  many 
rods. 

But  the  massacre  at  Fort  Mimms  roused  a  new 
spirit  in  David  Crockett.  He  perceived  at  once, 
that  unless  the  savages  were  speedily  quelled,  they 
would  ravage  the  whole  region ;  and  that  his  family 
as  well  as  that  of  every  other  pioneer  must  inevita- 
bly perish.  It  was  manifest  to  him  that  every  man 
was  bound  immediately  to  take  arms  for  the  general 
defence.  In  a  few  days  a  summons  was  issued  for 
every  able-bodied  man  in  all  that  region  to  repair 
to  Winchester,  which,  as  we  have  said,  was  a  small 
cluster  of  houses  about  ten  miles  from  Crockett's 
cabin. 

When  he  informed  his  wife  of  his  intention,  her 
womanly  heart  was  appalled  at  the  thought  of  being 
left  alone  and  unprotected  in  the  vast  wilderness. 
She  was  at  a  distance  of  hundreds  of  miles  from  all 
her  connections.  She  had  no  neighbors  near.  Her 
children  were  too  young  to  be  of  any  service  to  her. 
If  the  dreadful  Indians  should  attack  them,  she  had 
no  one  to  look  to  for  protection.  If  anything  should 
happen  to  him  in  battle  so  that  he  should  not 
return,  they  must  all  perish  of  starvation.  These 
obvious  considerations  she  urged  with  many  tears. 

"  It  was  mighty  hard,"  writes  Crockett,  "  to  go 
against  such  arguments  as  these.  But  my  country- 


THE   SOLDIER   LIFE.  95 

men  had  been  murdered,  and  I  knew  that  the  next 
thing  would  be  that  the  Indians  would  be  scalping 
the  women  and  children  all  about  there,  if  we  didn't 
put  a  stop  to  it.  I  reasoned  the  case  with  her  as 
well  as  I  could,  and  told  her  that  if  every  man  would 
wait  till  his  wife  got  willing  for  him  to  go  to  war, 
there  would  be  no  righting  done  until  we  all  should 
be  killed  in  our  own  houses  ;  that  as  I  was  as  able 
to  go  as  any.  man  in  the  world,  and  that  I  believed 
it  was  a  duty  I  owed  to  my  country.  Whether  she 
was  satisfied  with  this  reasoning  or  not  she  did  not 
tell  me,  but  seeing  I  was  bent  on  it,  all  she  did  wa.s 
to  cry  a  little,  and  turn  about  to  her  work." 

David  Crockett  hastened  to  Winchester.  There 
was  a  large  gathering  there  from  all  the  hamlets 
and  cabins  for  many  miles  around.  The  excitement 
was  intense.  The  nation  of  Creek  Indians  was  a 
very  powerful  one,  and  in  intelligence  and  military 
skill  far  in  advance  of  most  of  the  Indian  tribes. 
Mr.  Crockett  was  one  of  the  first  to  volunteer  to 
form  a  company  to  serve  for  sixty  days,  under 
Captain  Jones,  who  subsequently  was  -a  member 
of  Congress  from  Tennessee.  In  a  week  the  whole 
company  was  organized,  and  commenced  its  march 
to  join  others  for  the  invasion  of  the  Creek  country. 
It  was  thought  that  by  carrying  the  war  directly 
into  the  Indian  towns,  their  warriors  might  be 


90  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

detained  at  home  to  protect  their  wives  and  chil- 
dren, and  could  thus  be  prevented  from  carrying 
desolation  into  the  settlements  of  the  whites. 

In  the  mean  time  David  Crockett  revisited  his 
humble  home,  where  his  good  but  anxious  and 
afflicted  wife  fitted  him  out  as  well  as  she  could  for 
the  campaign.  David  was  not  a  man  of  sentiment, 
and  was  never  disposed  to  contemplate  the  possi- 
bility of  failure  in  any  of  his  plans.  With  a  light 
heart  he  bade  adieu  to  his  wife  and  his  children, 
and  mounting  his  horse,  set  out  for  his  two  months' 
absence  to  hunt  up  and  shoot  the  Indians.  He  took 
only  the  amount  of  clothing  he  wore,  as  he  wished 
to  be  entirely  unencumbered  when  he  should  meet 
the  sinewy  and  athletic  foe  on  the  battle-field. 

This  company,  of  about  one  hundred  mounted 
men,  commenced  its  march  for  an  appointed  rendez- 
vous called  Beatty's  Spring.  Here  they  encamped 
for  several  days,  waiting  the  arrival  of  other  com- 
panies from  distant  quarters.  Ere  long  there  was 
collected  quite  an  imposing  army  of  thirteen  hun- 
dred men,  all  on  horseback,  and  all  hardy  back- 
woodsmen, armed  with  the  deadly  rifle.  A  more 
determined  set  of  men  was  perhaps  never  assembled. 
While  they  were  thus  gathering  from  far  and  near, 
and  making  all  preparations  to  burst  upon  the  foe 
in  one  of  war's  most  terrific  tempests,  Major  Gibson 


THE   SOLDIER   LIFE.  97 

came,  and  wanted  a  few  men,  of  tried  sagacity  and 
hardihood,  to  accompany  him  on  a  reconnoitring 
tour  across  the  Tennessee  River,  down  through  the 
wilderness,  into  the  country  of  the  Creek  Indians. 
It  was  a  very  hazardous  enterprise.  The  region 
swarmed  with  savages.  They  were  very  vigilant. 
They  were  greatly  and  justly  exasperated.  If  the 
reconnoitring  party  were  captured,  the  certain  doom 
of  its  members  would  be  death  by  the  most  dreadful 
tortures. 

Captain  Jones  pointed  out  David  Crockett  as  one 
of  the  most  suitable  men  for  this  enterprise.  Crock- 
ett unhesitatingly  consented  to  go,  and,  by  permis- 
sion, chose  a  companion  by  the  name  of  George 
Russel,  a  young  man  whose  courage  and  sagacity 
were  far  in  advance  of  his  years. 

"  I  called  him  up,"  writes  Crocket ;  "  but  Major 
Gibson  said  he  thought  he  hadn't  beard  enough  to 
please  him  ;  he  wanted  men,  not  boys.  I  must  con- 
fess I  was  a  little  nettled  at  this  ;  for  I  know'd 
George  Russel,  and  I  know'd  there  was  no  mistake 
in  him  ;  and  I  didn't  think  that  courage  ought  to 
be  measured  by  the  beard,  for  fear  a  goat  would 
have  the  preference  over  a  man.  I  told  the  Major 
he  was  on  the  wrong  scent ;  that  Russel  could  go 
as  far  as  he  could,  and  I  must  have  him  along.  He 
saw  I  was  a  little  wrathy,  and  said  I  had  the  best 
5 


98  DAVID  CROCKETT. 

chance  of  knowing,  and  agreed  that  it  should  be  as 
I  wanted  it." 

The  heroic  little  band,  thirteen  in  number,  well 
armed  and  welt  mounted,  set  out  early  in  the  morn- 
ing on  their  perilous  enterprise.  -  They  crossed  the 
Tennessee  River,  and  directing  their  steps  south, 
through  a  region  almost  entirely  uninhabited  by 
white  men,  journeyed  cautiously  along,  keeping 
themselves  concealed  as  much  as  possible  in  the 
fastnesses  of  the  forest.  They  crossed  the  river,  at 
what  was  called  Ditto's  Landing,  and  advancing 
about  seven  miles  beyond,  found  a  very  secluded 
spot,  one  of  nature's  hiding-places,  where  they  took 
up  their  encampment  for  the  night. 

Here  they  chanced  to  come  across  a  man  by  the 
name  of  John  Haynes,  who  for  several  years  had 
been  a  trader  among  the  Indians.  He  was  thor- 
oughly acquainted  with  the  wrfole  region  about  to 
be  traversed,  and  consented  to  act  as  a  guide.  For 
the  next  day's  march,  instructed  by  their  guide,  the 
party  divided  into  two  bands,  following  along  two 
obscure  trails,  which  came  together  again  after 
winding  through  the  wilderness  a  distance  of  about 
twenty  miles.  Major  Gibson  led  a  party  of  seven, 
and  David  Crockett  the  other  party  of  six. 

The  Cherokee  Indians,  a  neighboring  nation, 
powerful  and  warlike,  were  not  in  alliance  with  the 


THE  SOLDIER   LIFE.  99 

Creeks  in  this  war.  They  were,  at  that  time,  in 
general  friendly  to  the  whites.  Many  of  their  war- 
riors were  even  induced  to  join  the  whites  and 
march  under  their  banners.  On  each  of  the  trails 
that  day  to  be  passed  over,  there  M'as  the  lodge  of 
a  Cherokee  Indian.  Both  of  them  were  friendly. 
Each  of  the  parties  was  to  collect  all  the  informa- 
mation  possible  from  these  Indians,  and  then  to 
meet  where  the  trails  came  together  again. 

When  Crockett  arrived  at  the  wigwam  of  the 
Indian  he  met  with  a  very  friendly  reception.  He 
also  found  there  a  half-breed  Cherokee,  by  the  name 
of  Jack  Thompson.  This  man,  of  savage  birth  and 
training,  but  with  the  white  man's  blood  in  his 
veins,  offered  to  join  the  reconnoitring  party.  He 
however  was  not  ready  just  then  to  set  out,  but  in 
a  few  hours  would  follow  and  overtake  the  band  at 
its  night's  encampment. 

It  was  not  safe  to  encamp  directly  upon  the 
trail,  lest  some  Creek  war-party  should  be  passing 
along,  and  should  discover  them.  It  was  necessary 
to  seek  concealment  where  even  the  prying  eyes  of 
the  savage  would  with  difficulty  search  them  out. 
The  cry  of  the  shriek-owl  is  exceedingly  shrill,  and 
can  be  heard  at  a  great  distance.  A  particular  spot 
on  the  trail  was  designated,  near  which  Crockett 
would  seek  his  secret  encampment.  When  Jack 


IOO  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

Thompson  reached  that  spot,  he  was  to  imitate  the 
cry  of  the  owl.  Crockett  would  respond,  and  thus 
guide  the  Indian  to  his  retreat.  As  night  approach- 
ed, Crockett,  with  his  party,  found  a  deep  and  dark 
ravine,  where,  encircled  by  almost  impenetrable 
thickets,  he  hid  his  men  and  the  horses.  No  camp- 
fires  could  be  built.  It  was  ten  o'clock  in  the  night 
when,  in  the  distance,  he  heard  the  signal  shriek  of 
the  owl,  a  cry  too  common  to  arrest  the  attention 
of  any  Indian  bands  who  might  be  in  the  vicinity. 
Jack,  guided  by  a  responsive  cry,  soon  found  the 
place  of  concealment,  and  there  the  party  remained 
through  the  night. 

The  next  morning  after  breakfast  they  set  out  to 
join  Major  Gibson  and  his  band  ;  but,  in  some  way, 
they  had  lost  track  of  him,  and  he  could  not  be 
found.  Some  were  alarmed,  as,  in  so  small  a  band, 
they  were  entering  the  domains  of  their  powerful 
foe.  Crockett  taunted  them  with  their  fears  ;  and 
indeed  fear  kept  them  together.  The  party  con- 
sisted now  of  seven,  including  the  Indian  guide. 
Most  of  them  determined  to  press  on.  The  two  or 
three  who  were  in  favor  of  going  back  dared  not 
separate  from  the  rest. 

At  the  distance  of  about  twenty  miles,  Jack 
Thompson  told  them  that  there  was  a  village  of 
friendly  Cherokee  Indians.  As  he  was  leading 


THE   SOLDIER   LIFE.  IOI 

them  through  obscure  trails  toward  that  place,  they 
came  across  the  hut  of  a  white  man,  by  the  name 
of  Radcliff,  who  had  married  a  Creek  woman,  and 
had  been  adopted  into  their  tribe.  The  man  had 
two  nearly  grown-up  boys,  stout,  burly  fellows,  half- 
breeds  by  birth,  and  more  than  half  savage  in  charac- 
ter and  training.  The  old  man's  cabin  was  slightly 
above  the  usual  style  of  Indian  wigwams.  It  was 
in  a  region  of  utter  solitude. 

There  Radcliff  had  taught  his  barbarian  boys 
some  of  the  arts  of  industry.  He  had  cleared  quite 
a  space  of  ground  around  his  hut,  and  was  raising 
a  supply  of  corn  and  potatoes  ample  for  his  family 
wants.  With  these  vegetable  productions,  and  with 
the  game  which  the  rifle  supplied  them,  they  lived 
in  abundance,  and  free  from  most  of  those  cares 
which  agitate  a  higher  civilization. 

But  the  old  man  was  quite  agitated  in  receiving 
and  entertaining  his  unwelcome  guests.  He  was  an 
adopted  Creek,  and  ought  to  be  in  sympathy  with 
his  nation.  He  was  bound  to  regard  the  white  men 
as  his  enemies,  to  withhold  from  them  all  important 
information,  and  to  deliver  them  up  to  the  Creeks 
if  possible.  Should  he  be  suspected  of  sympathy 
with  the  white  men,  the  tomahawk  of  the  savage 
would  soon  cleave  his  brain.  He  entreated  Crockett 
immediately  to  leave  him. 


IO2  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

4<  Only  an  hour  ago,"  said  he,  "  there  were  ten 
Creek  warriors  here,  all  on  horseback,  and  painted 
and  armed.  Should  they  come  back  and  discover 
you  here,  they  would  certainly  kill  you  all,  and  put 
me  and  my  family  to  death  also." 

But  Crockett,  instead  of  being  alarmed  by  this 
intelligence,  was  only  animated  by  it.  He  assured 
Radcliff  that  he  could  desire  no  better  luck  than  to 
meet  a  dozen  Indians  on  the  war-path.  He  con- 
sidered his  party  quite  strong  enough  to  meet,  at 
any  time,  three  times  their  number.  Evening  was  ap- 
proaching, and  the  full  moon,  in  cloudless  brilliance, 
was  rising  over  the  forest,  flooding  the  whole  land- 
scape with  extraordinary  splendor.  After  feeding 
their  horses  abundantly  and  feasting  themselves 
from  the  fat  larder  of  their  host,  they  saddled  their 
steeds  and  resumed  their  journey  by  moonlight. 

The  trail  still  led  through  the  silent  forest.  It 
was,  as  usual,  very  narrow,  so  that  the  horses  walked 
along  in  single  file.  As  there  was  danger  of  falling 
into  an  ambush,  not  a  word  was  spoken,  and,  as 
noiselessly  as  possible,  they  moved  onward,  every 
eye  on  the  eager  lookout.  They  had  been  thus 
riding  along  when  Crockett,  in  the  advance,  heard 
the  noise  of  some  animals  or  persons  apparently 
approaching.  At  a  given  signal,  instantly  the  whole 
party  stopped.  Every  man  grasped  his  rifle,  ready, 


THE   SOLDIER   LIFE.  IO3 

in  case  of  need,  to  leap  from  his  horse,  and  select  the 
largest  tree  near  him  as  a  rampart  for  the  battle. 

All  solicitude  was,  however,  soon  dispelled  by 
seeing  simply  two  persons  advancing  along  the  trail 
on  Indian  ponies.  They  proved  to  be  two  negro 
slaves,  who  had  been  captured  by  the  Indians,  and 
who,  having  escaped,  were  endeavoring  to  make 
their  way  back  to  their  former  master.  They  were 
brothers,  and  being  both  very  stout  men,  and  able 
to  speak  the  Indian  as  well  as  the  English  lan- 
guage, were  esteemed  quite  a  powerful  reinforce- 
ment to  the  Crockett  party. 

They  rode  quietly  along  another  hour  and  a  half, 
when  toward  midnight  they  saw  in  the  distance  the 
glearn  of  camp-fires,  and  heard  shouts  of  merriment 
and  revelry.  They  knew  that  these  must  come  from 
the  camp  of  the  friendly  Cherokees,  to  which  their 
Indian  guide,  Jack  Thompson,  was  leading  them. 
Soon  a  spectacle  of  wonderful  picturesque  beauty 
was  opened  to  their  view. 

Upon  the  banks  of  a  beautiful  mountain  stream 
there  was  a  wide  plateau,  carpeted  with  the  re- 
nowned blue-grass,  as  verdant  and  soft  as  could  be 
found  in  any  gentleman's  park.  There  was  no 
underbrush.  The  trees  were  two  or  three  yards 
from  each  other,  composing  a  luxuriant  overhanging 
canopy  of  green  leaves,  more  beautiful  than  art 


104  DAVID  CROCKETT. 

could  possibly  create.  Beneath  this  charming  grove, 
and  illumined  by  the  moonshine  which,  in  golden 
tracery,  pierced  the  foliage,  there  were  six  or  eight 
Indian  lodges  scattered  about. 

An  immense  bonfire  was  crackling  and  blazing, 
throwing  its  rays  far  and  wide  through  the  forest. 
Moving  around,  in  various  engagements  and  sports, 
were  about  forty,  men,  women,  and  children,  in  the 
fringed,  plumed,  and  brilliantly  colored  attire  of 
which  the  Indians  were  so  fond.  Quite  a  number 
of  them,  with  bows  and  arrows,  were  shooting  at  a 
mark,  which  was  made  perfectly  distinct  by  the 
blaze  of  pitch-pine  knots,  a  light  which  no  flame  of 
candle  or  gas  could  outvie.  It  was  a  scene  of 
sublimity  and  beauty,  of  peace  and  loveliness,  which 
no  artist  could  adequately  transfer  to  canvas. 

The  Cherokee's  received  very  cordially  the  new- 
comers, took  care  of  their  horses,  and  introduced 
them  to  their  sports.  Many  of  the  Indians  had 
guns,  but  powder  and  bullets  were  too  precious  to 
be  expended  in  mere  amusements.  Indeed,  the 
Indians  were  so  careful  of  their  ammunition,  that 
they  rarely  put  more  than  half  as  much  powder  into 
a  charge  as  a  white  man  used.  They  endeavored 
to  make  up  for  the  deficiency  by  creeping  nearer  to 
their  prey. 

Crockett  and  his  men  joined  these  barbarians, 


THE   SOLDIER   LIFE.  IO5 

merry  in  their  pleasant  sports.  Such  are  the  joys 
of  peace,  so  different  from  the  miseries  of  demoniac 
war.  At  length  the  festivities  were  closed,  and  all 
began  to  prepare  to  retire  to  sleep. 

The  Cherokees  were  neutral  in  the  war  between 
the  whites  and  the  Creek  Indians.  It  was  very 
important  for  them  to  maintain  this  neutrality 
strictly,  that  they  might  not  draw  down  upon  them- 
selves the  vengeance  of  either  party.  Some  of  the 
Cherokees  now  began  to  feel  anxious  lest  a  war- 
party  of  the  Creeks  should  come  along  and  find 
them  entertaining  a  war-party  of  whites,  who  were 
entering  their  country  as  spies.  They  therefore 
held  an  interview  with  one  of  the  negroes,  and 
requested  him  to  inform  Mr.  Crockett  that  should  a 
war-party  come  and  find  his  men  in  the  Cherokee 
village,  not  only  would  they  put  all  the  white  men 
to  death,  but  there  would  be  also  the  indiscriminate 
massacre  of  all  the  men,  women,  and  children  in  the 
Cherokee  lodges. 

Crockett,  wrapped  in  his  blanket,  was  half  asleep 
when  this  message  was  brought  to  him.  Raising 
his  head,  he  said  to  the  negro,  in  terms  rather 
savoring  of  the  spirit  of  the  braggadocio  than  that 
of  a  high-minded  and  sympathetic  man  : 

"  Tell   the   Cherokees   that  I  will  keep  a  sharp 
lookout,  and  if  a  single  Creek  comes  near  the  camp 
5* 


106  DAVID  CROCKETT. 

to-night,  I  will  carry  the  skin  of  his  head  home  to 
make  me  a  moccasin." 

When  this  answer  was  reported  to  the  Indians 
they  laughed  aloud  and  dispersed.  It  was  not  at  all 
improbable  that  there  might  be  an  alarm  before 
morning.  The  horses  were  therefore,  after  being 
well  fed,  tied  up  with  their  saddles  upon  them,  that 
they  might  be  instantly  mounted  in  case  of  emer- 
gence. They  all  slept,  also,  with  their  arms  in  their 
hands. 

Just  as  Crockett  was  again  falling  into  a  doze,  a 
very  shrill  Indian  yell  was  heard  in  the  forest,  the 
yell  of  alarm.  Every  man,  white  and  red,  was 
instantly  upon  his  feet.  An  Indian  runner  soon 
made  his  appearance,  with  the  tidings  that  more 
than  a  thousand  Creek  warriors  had,  that  day, 
crossed  the  Coosa  River,  but  a  few  leagues  south'  of 
them,  at  what  was  called  the  Ten  Islands,  and  were 
on  the  march  to  attack  an  American  force,  which, 
under  General  Jackson,  was  assembling  on  another 
portion  of  the  Coosa  River. 

The,  friendly  Indians  were  so  greatly  alarmed 
that  they  immediately  fled.  Crockett  felt  bound  to 
carry  back  this  intelligence  as  speedily  as  possible 
to  the  headquarters  from  which  he  had  come.  He 
had  traversed  a  distance  of  about  sixty  miles  in  a 
southerly  direction.  They  returned  by  the  same 


THE   SOLDIER   LIFE.  IO7 

route  over  which  they  had  passed.  But  they  found 
that  a  general  alarm  had  pervaded  the  country. 
Radcliff  and  his  family,  abandoning  everything, 
had  fled,  they  knew  not  where.  When  they  reached 
the  Cherokee  town  of  which  we  have  before  spoken, 
not  a  single  Indian  was  to  be  seen.  Their  fires 
were  still  burning,  which  showed  the  precipitancy 
with  which  they  had  taken  flight.  This  rather 
alarmed  the  party  of  the  whites.  They  feared  that 
the  Indian  warriors  were  assembling  from  all  quar- 
ters, at  some  secret  rendezvous,  and  would  soon 
fall  upon  them  in  overwhelming  numbers.  They 
therefore  did  not  venture  to  replenish  the  Indian 
fires  and  lie  down  by  the  warmth  of  them,  but 
pushed  rapidly  on  their  way. 

It  chanced  to  be  a  serene,  moonlight  night.  The 
trail  through  the  forest,  which  the  Indian's  foot  for 
counttess  generations  had  trodden  smooth,  illumined 
by  the  soft  rays  of  the  moon,  was  exceedingly  beau- 
tiful. They  travelled  in  single  file,  every  nerve  at 
its  extreme  tension  in  anticipation  of  falling  into 
some  ambush.  Before  morning  they  had  accom- 
plished about  thirty  miles.  In  the  grey  dawn  they 
again  reached  Mr.  Brown's.  Here  they  found  graz- 
ing for  their  horses,  and  corn  and  game  for  them- 
selves. 

Horses  and  riders  were  equally  fatigued.     The 


IO8  DAVID    CROCKETT. 

weary  adventurers  were  in  no  mood  for  talking. 
After  dozing  for  an  hour  or  two,  they  again  set  out, 
and  about  noon  reached  the  general  rendezvous, 
from  which  they  had  departed  but  a  few  days  before. 
Here  Crockett  was  not  a  little  disappointed  in  the 
reception  he  encountered.  He  was  a  young,  raw 
backwoodsman,  nearly  on  a  level  with  the  ordinary 
savage.  He  was  exceedingly  illiterate,  and  igno- 
rant. And  yet  he  had  the  most  amazing  self-con- 
fidence, with  not  a  particle  of  reverence  for  any 
man,  whatever  his  rank  or  culture.  He  thought 
no  one  his  superior.  Colonel  Coffee  paid  very  little 
respect  to  his  vainglorious  report.  In  the  follow- 
ing characteristic  strain  Crockett  comments  on  the 
event : 

"  He  didn't  seem  to  mind  my  report  a  bit.  This 
raised  my  dander  higher  than  ever.  t  But  I  know'd 
that  I  had  to  be  on  my  best  behavior,  and  so  I  kept 
it  all  to  myself;  though  I  was  so  mad  that  I  was 
burning  inside  like  a  tar-kiln,  and  I  wonder  that  the 
smoke  had  not  been  pouring  out  of  me  at  all  points. 
The  next  day,  Major  Gibson  got  in.  He  brought 
a  worse  tale  than  I  had,  though  he  stated  the  same 
facts  as  far  as  I  went.  This  seemed  to  put  our  Colo- 
nel all  in  a  fidget ;  and  it  convinced  me  clearly  of 
one  of  the  hateful  ways  of  the  world.  When  I 
made  my  report  I  was  not  believed,  because  I  was 


THE   SOLDIER   LIFE.  109 

no  officer.  I  was  no  great  man,  but  just  a  poor 
soldier.  But  when  the  same  thing  was  reported  by 
Major  Gibson,  why  then  it  was  all  true  as  preaching, 
and  the  Colonel  believed  it  every  word." 

There  was  indeed  cause  for  alarm.  Many  of  the 
Indian  chiefs  displayed  military  ability  of  a  very 
high  order.  Our  officers  were  frequently  outgen- 
eralled  by  their  savage  antagonists.  This  was  so 
signally  the  case  that  the  Indians  frequently  amused 
themselves  in  laughing  to  scorn  the  folly  of  the 
white  men.  Every  able-bodied  man  was  called  to 
work  in  throwing  up  breastworks.  A  line  of  ram- 
parts was  speedily  constructed,  nearly  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  in  circuit.  An  express  was  sent  to  Fay- 
etteville,  where  General  Jackson  was  assembling  an 
army,  to  summon  him  to  the  rescue.  With  charac- 
teristic energy  he  rushed  forward,  by  forced  marches 
day  and  night,  until  his  troops  stood,  with  blistered 
feet,  behind  the  newly  erected  ramparts. 

They  felt  now  safe  from  attack  by  the  Indians 
An  expedition  of  eight  hundred  volunteers,  of  which 
Crockett  was  one,  was  fitted  out  to  recross  the 
Tennessee  River,  and  marching  by  the  way  of 
Huntsville,  to  attack  the  Indians  from  an  unex- 
pected quarter.  This  movement  involved  a  double 
crossing  of  the  Tennessee.  They  pressed  rapidly 
along  the  northern  bank  of  this  majestic  stream, 


110  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

about  lorty  or  fifty  miles,  due  west,  until  they  came 
to  a  point  where  the  stream  expands  into  a  width 
of  nearly  two  miles.  This  place  was  called  Muscle 
Shoals.  The  river  could  here  be  forded,  though 
the  bottom  was  exceedingly  rough.  The  men  were 
all  mounted.  Several  horses  got  their  feet  so  en- 
tangled in  the  crevices  of  the  rocks  that  they  could 
not  be  disengaged,  and  they  perished  there.  The 
men,  thus  dismounted,  were  compelled  to  perform 
the  rest  of  the  campaign  on  foot. 

A  hundred  miles  south  of  this  point,  in  the  State 
of  Alabama,  the  Indians  had  a  large  Village,  called 
Black  Warrior.  '  The  lodges  of  the  Indians  were 
spread  over  the  ground  where  the  city  of  Tuscaloosa 
now  stands.  The  wary  Indians  kept  their  scouts 
out  in  all  directions.  The  runners  conveyed  to  the 
warriors  prompt  warning  of  the  approach  of  their 
foes.  These  Indians  were  quite  in  advance  of  the 
northern  tribes.  Their  lodges  were  full  as  comfort- 
able as  the  log  huts  of  the  pioneers,  and  in  their 
interior  arrangements  more  tasteful.  The  buildings 
were  quite  numerous.  Upon  many  of  them  much 
labor  had  been  expended.  Luxuriant  corn-fields 
spread  widely  around,  and  in  well-cultivated  gardens 
they  raised  beans  and  other  vegetables  in  consider- 
able abundance. 

The  hungry  army  found  a  good  supply  of  dried 


THE   SOLDIER   LIFE.  Ill 

beans  for  themselves,  and  carefully  housed  corn  for 
their  horses.  They  feasted  themselves,  loaded  their 
pack-horses  with  corn  and  beans,  applied  the  torch 
to  every  lodge,  laying  the  whole  town  in  ashes, 
and  then  commenced  their  backward  march.  Fresh 
Indian  tracks  indicated  that  many  of  them  had 
remained  until  the  last  moment  of  safety. 

The  next  day  the  army  marched  back  about  fif- 
teen miles  to  the  spot  where  it  had  held  its  last 
encampment.  Eight  hundred  men,  on  a  campaign, 
consume  a  vast  amount  of  food.  Their  meat  was 
all  devoured.  They  had  now  only  corn  and  beans. 
The  soldiers  were  living  mostly  on  parched  corn. 
Crockett  went  to  Colonel  Coffee,  then  in  command, 
and  stating,  very  truthfully,  that  he  was  an  experi- 
enced hunter,  asked  permission  to  draw  aside  from 
the  ranks,  and  hunt  as  they  marched  along.  The 
Colonel  gave  his  consent,  but  warned  him  to  be 
watchful  in  the  extreme,  lest  he  should  fall  into  an 
Indian  ambush. 

Crockett  was  brave,  but  not  reckless.  He 
plunged  into  the  forest,  with  vigilant  gaze  piercing 
the  solitary  space  in  all  directions.  He  was  alone, 
on  horseback.  He  had  not  gone  far  when  he  found 
a  deer  just  killed  by  a  noiseless  arrow.  The  animal 
was  but  partially  skinned,  and  still  warm  and  smok- 
ing. The  deer  had  certainly  been  killed  by  an 


112  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

Indian ;  and  it  was  equally  certain  that  the  savage, 
seeing  his  approach,  had  fled.  The  first  thought  of 
Crockett  was  one  of  alarm.  The  Indian  might  be 
hidden  behind  some  one  of  the  gigantic  trees,  and 
the  next  moment  a  bullet,  from  the  Indian's  rifle, 
might  pierce  his  heart. 

But  a  second  thought  reassured  him.  The  deer 
had  been  killed  by  an  arrow.  Had  the  Indian  been 
armed  with  a  rifle,  nothing  would  have  been  easier, 
as  he  saw  the  approach  of  Crockett  in  the  distance, 
than  for  him  to  have  concealed  himself,  and  then 
to  have  taken  such  deliberate  aim  at  his  victim  as 
to  be  sure  of  his  death.  Mounting  the  horse  which 
Crockett  rode,  the  savage  might  have  disappeared 
in  the  wilderness  beyond  all  possibility  of  pursuit. 
But  this  adventure  taught  Crockett  that  he  might 
not  enjoy  such  good  luck  the  next  time.  Another 
Indian  might  be  armed  with  a  rifle,  and  Crockett, 
self-confident  as  he  was,  could  not  pretend  to  be 
wiser  in  woodcraft  than  were  the  savages. 

Crockett  dismounted,  took  up  the  body  of  the 
deer,  laid  it  upon  the  mane  of  his  horse,  in  front  of 
the  saddle,  and  remounting,  with  increasing  vigilance 
made  his  way,  as  rapidly  as  he  could,  to  the  trail 
along  which  the  army  was  advancing.  He  confesses 
to  some  qualms  of  conscience  as  to  the  right  of  one 
hunter  thus  to  steal  away  the  game  killed  by  another. 


THE   SOLDIER  LIFE.  113 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  he  reached  the 
rear.  He  pressed  along  to  overtake  his  own  com- 
pany. The  soldiers  looked  wistfully  at  the  venison. 
They  offered  him  almost  any  price  for  it.  Crockett 
was  by  nature  a  generous  man.  There  was  not  a 
mean  hair  in  his  head.  This  generosity  was  one 
of  the  virtues  which  gave  him  so  many  friends. 
Rather  boastfully,  and  yet  it  must  be  admitted 
truthfully,  he  writes,  in  reference  to  this  adventure  : 

"  I  could  have  sold  it  for  almost  any  price  I 
would  have  asked.  But  this  wasn't  my  rule,  neither 
in  peace  nor  war.  Whenever  I  had  anything  and 
saw  a  fellow-being  suffering,  I  was  more  anxious  to 
relieve  him  than  to  benefit  myself.  And  this  is  one 
of  the  true  secrets  of  my  being  a  poor  man  to  the 
present  day.  But  it  is  my  way.  And  while  it  has 
often  left  me  with  an  empty  purse,  yet  it  has  never 
left  my  heart  empty  of  consolations  which  money 
couldn't  buy  ;  the  consolation  of  having  sometimes 
fed  the  hungry  and  covered  the  naked.  I  gave  all 
my  deer  away  except  a  small  part,  which  I  kept 
for  myself,  and  just  sufficient  to  make  a  good  sup- 
per for  my  mess." 

The  next  day,  in  their  march,  they  came  upon 
a  drove  of  swine,  which  belonged  to  a  Cherokee 
farmer.  The  whites  were  as  little  disposed  as  were 
the  Indians,  in  this  war,  to  pay  any  respect  to 


114  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

private  property.  Hundreds  of  rifles  were  aimed 
at  the  poor  pigs,  and  their  squealing  indicated  that 
they  had  a  very  hard  time  of  it.  The  army,  in  its 
encampment  that  night,  feasted  very  joyously  upon 
fresh  pork.  This  thrifty  Cherokee  was  also  the  pos- 
sessor of  a  milch  cow.  The  animal  was  speedily 
slaughtered  and  devoured. 

They  soon  came  upon  another  detachment  of 
the  army,  and  uniting,  marched  to  Ten  Islands,  on 
the  Coosa  River,  where  they  established  a  fort, 
which  they  called  Fort  Strother,  as  a  depot  for 
provisions  and  ammunition.  They  were  here  not 
far  from  the  centre  of  the  country  inhabited  by 
the  hostile  Indians.  This  fort  stood  on  the  left 
bank  of  the  river,  in  what  is  now  St.  Clair  Coun- 
ty, Alabama.  It  was  a  region  but  little  explored, 
and  the  whites  had  but  little  acquaintance  with  the 
nature  of  the  country  around  them,  or  with  the 
places  occupied  by  the  Indians.  Some  scouts,  from 
the  friendly  Creeks,  brought  the  intelligence  that,  at 
the  distance  of  about  eight  miles  from  the  fort,  there 
was  an  Indian  town,  where  a  large  party  of  warriors 
was  assembled  in  preparation  for  some  secret  expe- 
dition. A  large  and  select  band  was  immediately 
dispatched,  on  horseback,  to  attack  them  by  sur- 
prise. Two  friendly  Creeks  led  them  with  Indian 
sagacity  through  circuitous  trails.  Stealthily  they 


THE   SOLDIER   LIFE.  -1 1 5 

approached  the  town,  and  dividing,  their  force, 
marched  on  each  side  so  as  to  encircle  it  completely. 
Aided  by  their  Creek  guides,  this  important  move- 
ment was  accomplished  without  the  warriors  discov- 
ering their  approach.  The  number  of  the  whites 
was  so  great  that  they  were  enabled  to  surround  the 
town  with  so  continuous  a  line  that  escape  was  im- 
possible for  any  enclosed  within  that  fearful  barrier 
of  loaded  rifles  wielded  by  unerring  marksmen. 
Closer  and  more  compactly  the  fatal  line  was  drawn. 
These  movements  were  accomplished  in  the  dim 
morning  twilight. 

All  being  ready,  Captain  Hammond,  and  a  few 
rangers,  were  sent  forward  to  show  themselves,  and 
to  bring  on  the  fight.  The  moment  the  warriors 
caught  sight  of  them,  one  general  war-whoop  rose 
from  every  throat.  Grasping  their  rifles,  they  rushed 
headlong  upon  the  rangers,  who  retired  before  them. 
They  soon  reached  one  portion  of  the  compact  line, 
and  were  received  with  a  terrible  fire,  which  struck 
many  of  them  down  in  instant  death.  The  troops 
then  closed  rapidly  upon  the  doomed  Indians,  and 
from  the  north,  the  south,  the  east,  and  the  west, 
they  were  assailed  by  a  deadly  storm  of  bullets. 

Almost  immediately  the  Indians 'saw  that  they 
were  lost.  There  was  no  possibility  of  escape. 
This  was  alike  manifest  to  every  one,  to  warrior, 


Il6  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

squaw,  and  pappoose.  All  surrendered  themselves 
to  despair.  The  warriors  threw  down  their  weapons, 
in  sign  of  surrender.  Some  rushed  into  the  lodges. 
Some  rushed  toward  the  soldiers,  stretching  out 
their  unarmed  hands  in  supplication  for  life.  The 
women  in  particular,  panic-stricken,  ran  to  the  sol- 
diers, clasped  them  about  the  knees,  and  looked  up 
into  their  faces  with  piteous  supplications  for  life. 
Crockett  writes : 

"  I  saw  seven  squaws  have  hold  of  one  man.  So 
I  hollered  out  the  Scriptures  was  fulfilling;  that 
there  was  seven  women  holding  to  one  man's  coat- 
tail.  But  I  believe  it  was  a  hunting-shirt  all  the 
time.  We  took  them  all  prisoners  that  came  out  to 
us  in  this  way." 

Forty-six  warriors,  by  count,  threw  down  their 
arms  in  token  of  surrender,  and  ran  into  one  of  the 
large  houses.  A  band  of  soldiers  pursued  them, 
with  the  apparent  intent  of  shooting  them  down. 
It  was  considered  rare  sport  to  shoot  an  Indian.  A 
woman  came  to  the  door,  bow  and  arrow  in  hand. 
Fixing  the  arrow  upon  the  string,  she  drew  the  bow 
with  all  the  strength  of  her  muscular  arm,  and  let 
the  arrow  fly  into  the  midst  of  the  approaching  foe. 
It  nearly  passed  through  the  body  of  Lieutenant 
Moore,  killing  him  instantly.  The  woman  made 
no'  attempt  to  evade  the  penalty  which  she  knew 


THE  SOLDIER   LIFE.  1 1/ 

would  follow  this  act.  In  an  instant  twenty  bullets 
pierced  her  body,  and  she  fell  dead  at  the  door  of  the 
house. 

The  infuriate  soldiers  rushed  in  and  shot  the 
defenceless  warriors  mercilessly,  until  every  one  was 
fatally  wounded  or  dead.  They  then  set  the  house 
on  fire  and  burned  it  up,  with  the  forty-six  warriors 
in  it.  It  mattered  not  to  them  whether  the  flames 
consumed  the  flesh  of  the  living  or  of  the  dead. 

There  was  something  very  remarkable  in  the 
stoicism  which  the  Indians  ever  manifested.  There 
was  a  bright-looking  little  Indian  boy,  not  more  than 
twelve  years  of  age,  whose  arm  was  shattered  by  one 
bullet  and  his  thigh-bone  by  another.  Thus  terribly 
wounded,  the  poor  child  crept  from  the  flames  of  the 
burning  house.  There  was  no  pity  in  that  awful 
hour  to  come  to  his  relief.  The  heat  was  so  intense 
that  his  almost  naked  body  could  be  seen  blistering 
and  frying  by  the  fire.  The  heroic  boy,  striving  in 
vain  to  crawl  along,  was  literally  roasted  alive  ;  and 
yet  he  did  not  utter  an  audible  groan. 

The  slaughter  was  awful.  But  five  of  the 
Americans  were  killed.  One  hundred  and  eighty- 
six  of  the  Indians  were  either  killed  or  taken 
prisoners.  The  party  returned  with  their  captives 
the  same  day  to  Fort  Strother.  The  army  had  so 
far  consumed  its  food  that  it  was-  placed  on  half 


Il8  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

rations.  The  next  day  a  party  was  sent  back  to  the 
smouldering  town  to  see  if  any  food  could  be  found. 
Even  these  hardy  pioneers  were  shocked  at  the 
awful  spectacle  which  was  presented.  The  whole 
place  was  in  ruins.  The  half-burned  bodies  of  the 
dead,  in  awful  mutilation,  were  scattered  around. 
Demoniac  war  had  performed  one  of  its  most  fiend- 
like  deeds. 

On  this  bloody  field  an  Indian  babe  was  found 
clinging  to  the  bosom  of  its  dead  mother.  Jackson 
urged  some  of  the  Indian  women  who  were  captives 
to  give  it  nourishment.  They  replied: 

"  All  the  child's  friends  are  killed.  There  is  no 
one  to  care  for  the  helpless  babe.  It  is  much  better 
that  it  should  die." 

Jackson  took  the  child  under  his  own  care, 
ordered  it  to  be  conveyed  to  his  tent,  nursed  it 
with  sugar  and  water,  took  it  eventually  with  him 
to  the  Hermitage,  and  brought  it  up  as  his  son.  He 
gave  the  boy  the  name  of  Lincoyer.  He  grew  up 
a  finely  formed  young  man,  and  died  of  consumption 
at  the  age  of  seventeen. 

Jackson  was  a  very  stern  man.  The  appeals  of 
pity  could  seldom  move  his  heart.  Still  there  were 
traits  of  heroism  which  marked  his  character.  On 
the  return  march,  a  half-starved  soldier  came  to 
Jackson  with  a  piteous  story  of  his  famished  condi- 


THE   SOLDIER   LIFE.  119 

tion.  Jackson  drew  from  his  pocket  a  handful  of 
acorns,  and  presenting  a  portion  to  the  man,  said: 

"  This  is  all  the  fare  I  have.  I  will  share  it  with 
you." 

Beneath  one  of  the  houses  was  found  quite  a 
large  cellar,  well  stored  with  potatoes.  These  were 
eagerly  seized.  All  the  other  stores  of  the  Indians 
the  insatiable  flames  had  consumed.  Starvation 
now  began  to  threaten  the  army.  The  sparsely 
settled  country  afforded  no  scope  for  forage.  There 
were  no  herds  of  cattle,  no  well-replenished  maga- 
zines near  at  hand.  Neither  was  there  game 
enough  in  the  spreading  wilderness  to  supply  so 
many  hungry  mouths.  The  troops  were  compelled 
to  eat  even  the  very  hides  of  the  cattle  whom  they 
had  driven  befor-e  them,  and  who  were  now  all 
slaughtered. 

While  in  this  forlorn  condition,  awaiting  the 
arrival  of  food,  and  keeping  very  vigilant  guard 
against  surprise,  one  night  an  Indian,  cautiously 
approaching  from  the  forest,  shouted  out  that  he 
wished  to  see  General  Jackson,  for  he  had  important 
information  to  communicate.  He  was  conducted 
to  the  General's  tent.  The  soldiers  knew  not  the 
news  which  he  brought.  But  immediately  the  beat 
of  drums  summoned  all  to  arms.  In  less  than  an 
hour  a  strong  party  of  cavalry  and  infantry,  in  the 


120  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

darkness,  were  on  the  march.  General  Andrew 
Jackson  was  one  of  the  most  energetic  of  men. 
The  troops  crossed  the  Coosa  River  to  the  eastern 
shore,  and  as  rapidly  as  possible  pressed  forward  in 
a  southerly  direction  toward  Talladega,  which  was 
distant  about  thirty  miles.  Gradually  the  rumor 
spread  through  the  ranks  that  General  Jackson  had 
received  the  following  intelligence :  At  Talladega 
there  was  a  pretty  strong  fort,  occupied  by  friendly 
Indians.  They  had  resolutely  refused  to  take  part 
in  the  war  against  the  Americans.  Eleven  hundred 
hostile  warriors,  of  the  Creek  nation,  marched  upon 
the  fort,  encamped  before  it,  and  sent  word  to  the 
friendly  Indians  within  the  palisades,  that  if  they 
did  not  come  out  and  join  them  in  an  expedition 
against  the  whites,  they  would  utterly  demolish  the 
fort  and  take  all  their  provisions  and  ammunition. 
The  Creeks  were  in  sufficient  strength  to  accomplish 
their  threat. 

The  friendly  Indians  asked  for  three  days  to  con- 
sider the  proposition.  They  stated  that  if,  at  the 
end  of  this  time,  they  did  not  come  out  to  join  them 
in  an  expedition  against  the  whites,  they  would  sur- 
render the  fort.  The  request  was  granted.  In- 
stantly an  Indian  runner  was  dispatched  to  inform 
General  Jackson,  at  Fort  Strother,  of  their  danger 


THE   SOLDIER  LIFE.  121 

and  to  entreat  him  to  come  to  their  aid.  Hence  the 
sudden  movement. 

The  Creek  warriors  had  their  scouts  out,  care- 
fully watching,  and  were  speedily  apprised  of  the 
approach  of  General  Jackson's  band.  Immediately 
they  sent  word  into  the  fort,  to  the  friendly  Indians 
there,  that  the  American  soldiers  were  coming,  with 
many  fine  horses,  and  richly  stored  with  guns, 
blankets,  powder,  bullets,  and  almost  everything 
else  desirable.  They  promised  that'  if  the  Indians 
would  come  out  from  the  fort,  and  help  them  attack 
and  conquer  the  whites,  they  would  divide  the  rich 
plunder  with  them.  They  assured  them  that,  by 
thus  uniting,  they  could  easily  gain  the  victory  over 
the  whites,  who  were  the  deadly  foes  of  their  whole 
race.  The  appeal  was  not  responded  to. 

A  little  south  of  the  fort  there  was  a  stream, 
which,  in  its  circuitous  course,  partially  encircled  it. 
The  bank  was  high,  leaving  a  slight  level  space  or 
meadow  between  it  and  the  stream.  Here  the  hos- 
tile Indians  were  encamped,  and  concealed  from  any 
approaches  from  the  north.  It  was  at  midnight,  on 
the  7th  of  December,  that  Jackson  set  out  on  this 
expedition.  He  had  with  him,  for  the  occasion,  a 
very  strong  force,  consisting  of  twelve  hundred 
infantry  and  eight  hundred  cavalry. 

When  they  reached  the  fort,  the  army  divided, 
6 


122  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

passing  on  each  side,  and  again  uniting  beyond,  as 
they  approached  the  concealed  encampment  of  the 
enemy.  While  passing  the  fort,  the  friendly  In- 
dians clambered  the  palisades,  and  shouted  out 
joyously  to  the  soldiers,  "  How-de-do,  brother — 
hovv-de-do,  brother?" 

The  lines,  meeting  beyond  the  fort,  formed  for 
battle.  No  foe  was  visible.  Nearly  a  thousand 
warriors,  some  armed  with  arrows,  but  many  with 
rifles,  were  hidden,  but  a  few  rods  before  them, 
beneath  the  curving  bank,  which  was  fringed  with 
bushes.  Major  Russel,  with  a  small  party,  was  sent 
cautiously  forward  to  feel  for  the  enemy,  and  to 
bring  on  the  battle.  He  was  moving  directly  into 
the  curve,  where  a  concentric  fire  would  soon  cut 
down  every  one  of  his  men. 

The  Indians  in  the  fort  perceived  his  danger, 
and  shouted  warning  to  him.  He  did  not  under- 
stand their  language.  They  made  the  most  earnest 
gestures.  He  did  not  comprehend  their  meaning. 
Two  Indians  then  leaped  from  the  fort,  and  run- 
ning toward  him,  seized  his  horse  by  the  bridle. 
They  made  him  understand  that  more  than  a  thou- 
sand warriors,  with  rifle  in  hand  and  arrows  on  the 
string,  were  hidden,  at  but  a  short  distance  before 
him,  ready  to  assail  him  with  a  deadly  fire.  The 
account  which  Crockett  gives  of  the  battle,  though 


THE   SOLDIER   LIFE.  123 

neither  very  graphic  nor  classic,  is  worthy  of  inser- 
tion here,  as  illustrative  of  the  intellectual  and 
moral  traits  of  that  singular  man. 

"  This  brought  them  to  a  halt ;  and  about  this 
moment  the  Indians  fired  upon  them,  and  came 
rushing  forth  like  a  cloud  of  Egyptian  locusts,  and 
screaming  like  all  the  young  devils  had  been  turned 
loose  with  the  old  devil  of  all  at  their  head.  Rus- 
sel's  company  quit  their  horses  and  took  into  the 
fort.  Their  horses  ran  up  to  our  line,  which  was 
then  in  view.  The  warriors  then  came  yelling  on, 
meeting  us,  and  continued  till  they  were  within 
shot  of  us,  when  we  fired  and  killed  a  considerable 
number  of  them.  They  broke  like  a  gang  of  steers, 
and  ran  across  to  the  other  line. 

"  And  so  we  kept  them  running,  from  one  line  to 
the  other,  constantly  under  a  heavy  fire,  till  we  had 
killed  upwards  of  four  hundred  of  them.  They 
fought  with  guns  and  also  with  bow  and  arrows. 
But  at  length  they  made  their  escape  through  a 
part  of  our  line,  which  was  made  up  of  drafted  mili- 
tia, which  broke  ranks,  and  they  passed.  We  lost 
fifteen  of  our  men,  as  brave  fellows  as  ever  lived  or 
died.  We  buried  them  all  in  one  grave,  and  started 
back  to  our  fort.  But  before  we  got  there,  two  more 
of  our  men  died  of  wounds  they  had  received,  making 
our  total  loss  seventeen  good  fellows  in  that  battle." 


CHAPTER  V. 

Indian   Warfare. 

The  Army  at  Fort  Strother. — Crockett's  Regiment. — Crockett  at 
Home. — His  Re-enlistment. — Jackson  Surprised. — Military  Abili- 
ty of  the  Indians. — Humiliation  of  the  Creeks. — March  to  Florida. 
— Affairs  at  Pensacola. — Capture  of  the  City. — Characteristics  of 
Crockett. — The  Weary  March. — Inglorious  Expedition. — Murder 
of  Two  Indians. — Adventures  at  the  Island. — The  Continued 
March. — Severe  Sufferings. — Charge  upon  the  Uninhabited 
Village. 

THE  army,  upon  its  return  to  Fort  Strother, 
found  itself  still  in  a  starving  condition.  Though 
the  expedition  had  been  eminently  successful  in 
the  destruction  of  Indian  warriors,  it  had  consumed 
their  provisions,  without  affording  them  any  addi- 
tional supply.  The  weather  had  become  intensely 
cold.  The  clothing  of  the  soldiers,  from  hard  usage, 
had  become  nearly  worn  out.  The  horses  were  also 
emaciate  and  feeble.  There  was  danger  that  many 
of  the  soldiers  must  perish  from  destitution  and 
hunger. 

The  regiment  to  which  Crockett  belonged 
had  enlisted  for  sixty  days.  Their  time  had  long 
since  expired.  The  officers  proposed  to  Jackson 


INDIAN   WARFARE.  125 

that  they  and  their  soldiers  might  be  permitted  to 
return  to  their  homes,  promising  that  they  would 
immediately  re-enlist  after  having  obtained  fresh 
horses  and  fresh  clothing.  Andrew  Jackson  was  by 
nature  one  of  the  most  unyielding  of  men.  His 
will  was  law,  and  must  be  obeyed,  right  or  wrong. 
He  was  at  that  time  one  of  the  most  profane  of  men. 
He  swore  by  all  that  was  sacred  that  they  should 
not  go ;  that  the  departure  of  so  many  of  the  men 
would  endanger  the  possession  of  the  fort  and  the 
lives  of  the  remaining  soldiers.  There  were  many 
of  the  soldiers  in  the  same  condition,  whose  term  of 
service  had  expired.  They  felt  that  they  were  free 
and  enlightened  Americans,  and  resented  the  idea  of 
being  thus  enslaved  and  driven,  like  cattle,  at  the 
will  of  a  single  man.  Mutinous  feelings  were  ex- 
cited. The  camp  was  filled  with  clamor.  The  sol- 
diers generally  were  in  sympathy  with  those  who 
demanded  their  discharge,  having  faithfully  served 
out  the  term  of  their  enlistment.  Others  felt  that 
their  own  turn  might  come  when  they  too  might  be 
thus  enslaved. 

There  was  a  bridge  which  it  was  necessary  for 
the  soldiers  to  cross  on  the  homeward  route.  The 
inflexible  General,  supposing  that  the  regulars  would 
be  obedient  to  military  discipline,  and  that  it  wrould 
be  for  their  interest  to  retain  in  the  camp  those 


126  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

whose  departure  would  endanger  all  their  lives, 
placed  them  upon  the  bridge,  with  cannon  loaded 
to  the  muzzle  with  grape-shot.  They  were  ordered 
mercilessly  to  shoot  down  any  who  should  attempt 
to  cross  without  his  permission.  In  Crockett's  ludi- 
crous account  of  this  adventure,  he  writes  : 

"  The  General  refused  to  let  us  go.  We  were, 
however,  determined  to  go.  With  this,  the  General 
issued  his  orders  against  it.  We  began  to  fix  for  a 
start.  The  General  went  and  placed  his  cannon  on 
a  bridge  we  had  to  cross,  and  ordered  out  his  regu- 
lars and  drafted  men  to  prevent  our  crossing.  But 
when. the  militia  started  to  guard  the  bridge,  they 
would  holler  back  to  us  to  bring  their  knapsacks 
along  when  we  came  ;  for  they  wanted  to  go  as  bad 
as  we  did.  We  got  ready,  and  moved  on  till  we 
came  near  the  bridge,  where  the  General's  men 
were  all  strung  along  on  both  sides.  But  we  all 
had  our  flints  ready  picked  and  our  guns  ready 
primed,  that,  If  we  were  fired  on,  we  might  fight 
our  way  through,  or  all  die  together. 

"When  we  came  still  nearer  the  bridge  we  heard 
the  guards  cocking  their  guns,  and  we  did  the  same. 
But  we  marched  boldly  on,  and  not  a  gun  was  fired, 
nor  a  life  lost.  When  we  had  passed,  no  further 
attempt  was  made  to  stop  us.  We  went  on,  and 
near  Huntsville  we  met  a  reinforcement  who  were 


INDIAN   WARFARE.  1 27 

going  on  to  join  the  army.  It  consisted  of  a  regi- 
ment of  sixty-day  volunteers.  We  got  home  pretty 
safely,  and  in  a  short  time  we  had  procured  fresh 
horses,  and  a  supply  of  clothing  better  suited  for  the 
season." 

The  officers  and  soldiers  ere  long  rendezvoused 
again  at  Fort  Deposit.  Personally  interested  as 
every  one  was  in  subduing  the  Creeks,  whose  hos- 
tility menaced  every  hamlet  with  flames  and  the 
inmates  of  those  hamlets  with  massacre,  still  the 
officers  were  so  annoyed  by  the  arrogance  of  Gen- 
eral Jackson  that  they  were  exceedingly  unwilling  to 
serve  again  under  his  command. 

Just  as  they  came  together,  a  message  came 
from  General  Jackson,  demanding  that,  on  their 
return,  they  should  engage  to  serve  for  six  months. 
He  regarded  enlistment  merely  for  sixty  days  as 
absurd.  With  such  soldiers,  he  justly  argued  that 
no  comprehensive  campaign  could  be  entered  upon. 
The  officers  held  a  meeting  to  decide  upon  this 
question.  In  the  morning,  at  drum-beat,  they 
informed  the  soldiers  of  the  conclusion  they  had 
formed.  Quite  unanimously  they  decided  that  they 
would  not  go  back  on  a  six-months  term  of  service, 
but  that  each  soldier  might  do  as  he  pleased. 
Crockett  writes : 

"  I  know'd  if  I  went  back  home  I  wouldn't  rest, 


128  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

for  I  felt  it  my  duty  to  be  out.  And  when  out,  I 
was  somehow  or  other  always  delighted  to  be  in  the 
thickest  of  the  danger.  A  few  of  us,  therefore,  de- 
termined to  push  on  and  join  the  army.  The  num- 
ber I  do  not  recollect,  but  it  was  very  small." 

When  Crockett  reached  Fort  Strother  he  was 
placed  in  a  company  of  scouts  under  Major  Russel. 
Just  before  they  reached  the  fort,  General  Jackson 
had  set  out  on  an  expedition  in  a  southeasterly 
direction,  to  what  was  called  Horseshoe  Bend,  on 
the  Tallapoosa  River.  The  party  of  scouts  soon 
overtook  him  and  ledtheway.  As  they  approached 
the  spot  through  the  silent  trails  which  threaded 
the  wide  solitudes,  they  came  upon  many  signs  of 
Indians  being  around.  The  scouts  gave  the  alarm, 
and  the  main  body  of  the  army  came  up.  The 
troops  under  Jackson  amounted  to  about  one 
thousand  men.  It  was  the  evening  of  January  23d, 
1814. 

The  camp-fires  were  built,  supper  prepared,  and 
sentinels  being  carefully  stationed  all  around  to 
prevent  surprise,  the  soldiers,  protected  from  the 
wintry  wind  only  by  the  gigantic  forest,  wrapped 
themselves  in  their  blankets  and  threw  themselves 
down  on  the  withered  leaves  for  sleep.  The  Indians 
crept  noiselessly  along  from  tree  to  tree,  each  man 
searching  for  a  sentinel,  until  about  two  hours  before 


INDIAN   WARFARE.  1 29 

day,  when  they  opened  a  well-aimed  fire  from  the 
impenetrable  darkness  in  which  they  stood.  The 
sentinels  retreated  back  to  the  encampment,  and  the 
whole  army  was  roused. 

The  troops  were  encamped  in  the  form  of  a 
hollow  square,  and  thus  were  necessarily  between 
the  Indians  and  the  light  of  their  own  camp-fires. 
Not  a  warrior  was  to  be  seen.  The  only  guide  the 
Americans  had  in  shooting^  was  to  notice  the  flash 
of  the  enemy's  guns.  They  fired  at  the  flash.  But 
as  every  Indian  stood  behind  a  tree,  it  is  not  proba- 
ble that  many,  if  any,  were  harmed.  The  Indians 
were  very  wary  not  to  expose  themselves.  They 
kept  at  a  great  distance,  and  were  not  very  success- 
ful in  their  fire.  Though  they  wounded  quite  a 
number,  only  four  men  were  killed.  With  the  dawn 
of  the  morning  they  all  vanished. 

General  Jackson  did  not  wish  to  leave  the. 
corpses  of  the  slain  to  be  dug  up  and  scalped  by 
the  savages.  He  therefore  erected  a  large  funeral 
pyre,  placed  the  bodies  upon  it,  and  they  were  soon 
consumed  to  ashes.  Some  litters  were  made  of  long 
and  flexible  poles,  attached  to  two  horses,  one  at 
each  end,  and  upon  these  the  wounded  were  con- 
veyed over  the  rough  and  narrow  way.  The 
Indians,  thus  far,  had  manifestly  been 'the  victors. 
They  had  inflicted  serious  injury  upon  the  Ameri- 
6* 


130  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

cans ;  and  there  is  no  evidence  that  a  single  one 
of  their  warriors  had  received  the  slightest  harm. 
This  was  the  great  object  of  Indian  strategy.  In 
the  wars  of  civilization,  a  great  general  has  ever 
been  willing  to  sacrifice  the  lives  of  ten  thousand 
of  his  own  troops  if,  by  so  doing,  he  could  kill 
twenty  thousand  of  the  enemy.  But  it  was  never 
so  with  the  Indians.  They  prized  the  lives  of  their 
warriors  too  highly. 

On  their  march  the  troops  came  to  a  wide  creek, 
which  it  was  necessary  to  cross.  Here  the  Indians 
again  prepared  for  battle.  They  concealed  them- 
selves so  effectually  as  to  elude  all  the  vigilance  of 
the  scouts.  When  about  half  the  troops  had  crossed 
the  stream,  the  almost  invisible  Indians  commenced 
their  assault,  opening  a  very  rapid  but  scattering 
fire.  Occasionally  a  warrior  was  seen  darting  frcm 
one  point  to  another,  to  obtain  better  vantage- 
ground. 

Major  Russel  was  in  command  of  a  small  rear- 
guard. His  soldiers  soon  appeared  running  almost 
breathless  to  join  the  main  body,  pursued  by  a  large 
number  of  Indians.  The  savages  had  chosen  the 
very  best  moment  for  their  attack.  The  artillery- 
men were  in  an  open  field  surrounded  by  the  forest. 
The  Indians,  from  behind  stumps,  logs,  and  trees, 
took  deliberate  aim,  and  almost  every  bullet  laid  a 


INDIAN   WARFARE.  131 

soldier  prostrate.  Quite  a  panic  ensued.  Two  of 
the  colonels,  abandoning  their  regiments,  rushed 
across  the  creek  to  escape  the  deadly  fire.  There 
is  no  evidence  that  the  Indians  were  superior  in 
numbers  to  the  Americans.  But  it  cannot  be  de- 
nied that  the  Americans,  though  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Andrew  Jackson,  were  again  outgeneralled. 
General  Jackson  lost,  in  this  short  conflict,  in. killed 
and  wounded,  nearly  one  hundred  men.  His  dis- 
organized troops  at  length  effected  the  passage  of 
the  creek,  beyond  which  the  Indians  did  not  pursue 
them.  Crockett  writes  : 

"  I  will  not  say  exactly  that  the  old  General  was 
whipped.  But  I  think  he  would  say  himself  that  he 
was  nearer  whipped  this  time  than  any  other;  for  I 
know  that  all  the  world  couldn't  make  him  acknowl- 
edge that  he  viz.?,  pointedly  whipped.  I  know  I  was 
mighty  glad  when  it  was  over,  and  the  savages  quit 
us,  for  I  began  to  think  there  was  one  behind  every 
tree  in  the  woods." 

Crockett,  having  served  out  his  term,  returned 
home.  But  he  was  restless  there.  Having  once 
experienced  the  excitements  of  the  camp,  his  wild, 
untrained  nature  could  not  repose  in  the  quietude 
of  domestic  life.  The  conflict  between  the  United 
States  and  a  small  band  of  Indians  was  very  unequal. 
The  loss  of  a  single  warrior  was  to  the  Creeks 


132  DAVID  CROCKETT. 

irreparable.  General  Jackson  was  not  a  man  to  yield 
to  difficulties.  On  the  2/th  of  March,  1814,  he 
drove  twelve  hundred  Creek  warriors  into  their  fort 
at  Tohopeka.  They  were  then  surrounded,  so  that 
escape  was  impossible,  and  the  fort  was  set  on  fire. 
The  carnage  was  awful.  Almost  every  warrior 
perished  by  the  bullet  or  in  the  flames.  The 
military  power  of  the  tribe  was  at  an  end.  The 
remnant,  utterly  dispirited,  sued  for  peace. 

Quite  a  number  of  the  Creek  warriors  fled  to 
Florida,  and  joined  the  hostile  Indian  tribes  there. 
We  were  at  this  time  involved  in  our  second  war 
with  Great  Britain.  The  Government  of  our  mo- 
ther country  was  doing  everything  in  its  power 
to  rouse  the  savages  against  us.  The  armies  in 
Canada  rallied  most  of  the  Northern  tribes  beneath 
their  banners.  Florida,  at  that  time,  belonged  to 
Spain.  The  Spanish  Government  was  nominally 
neutral  in  the  conflict  between  England  and  the 
United  States.  But  the  Spanish  governor  in 
Florida  was  in  cordial  sympathy  with  the  British 
officers.  He  lent  them  all  the  aid  and  comfort  in 
his  power,  carefully  avoiding  any  positive  violation 
of  the  laws  of  neutrality.  He  extended  very  liberal 
hospitality  to  the  refugee  Creek  warriors,  and  in 
many  ways  facilitated  their  cooperation  with  the 
English, 


INDIAN   WARFARE.  133 

A  small  British  fleet  entered  the  mouth  of  the 
Apalachicola  River  and  landed  three  hundred  sol- 
diers. Here  they  engaged  vigorously  in  construct- 
ing a  fort,  and  in  summoning  all  the  surrounding 
Indian  tribes  to  join  them  in  the  invasion  of  the 
Southern  States.  General  Jackson,  with  a  force  of 
between  one  and  two  thousand  men,  was  in  Northern 
Alabama,  but  a  few  days'  march  north  of  the  Florida 
line.  He  wrote  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  in  sub- 
stance, as  follows: 

"  The  hostile  Creeks  have  taken  refuge  in  Flor- 
ida. They  are  there  fed,  clothed,  and  protected. 
The  British  have  armed  a  large  force  with  muni- 
tions of  war,  and  are  fortifying  and  stirring  up  the 
savages.  If  you.  will  permit  me  to  raise  a  few  hun- 
dred militia,  which  can  easily  be  done,  I  will  unite 
them  with  such  a  force  of  regulars  as  can  easily  be 
collected,  and  will  make  a  descent  on  Pensacola,  and 
will  reduce  it.  I  promise  you  I  will  bring  the  war 
in  the  South  to  a  speedy  termination  ;  and  English 
influence  with  the  savages,  in  this  quarter,  shall  be 
forever  destroyed." 

The  President  was  not  prepared  thus  to  provoke 
war  with  Spain,  by  the  invasion  of  Florida.  Andrew 
Jackson  assumed  the  responsibility.  The  British 
had  recently  made  an  attack  upon  Mobile,  and 
being  repulsed,  had  retired  with  their  squadron  to 


134  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

the  harbor  of  Pensacola.  Jackson  called  for  volun- 
teers to  march  upon  Pensacola.  Crockett  roused 
himself  at  the  summons,  like  the  war-horse  who 
snuffs  the  battle  from  afar.  "  I  wanted,"  he  wrote, 
"  a  small  taste  of  British  fighting,  and  I  supposed 
they  would  be  there." 

His  wife  again  entered  her  tearful  remonstrance. 
She  pointed  to  her  little  children,  in  their  lonely 
hut  far  away  in  the  wilderness,  remote  from  all 
neighborhood,  and  entreated  the  husband  and  the 
father  not  again  to  abandon  them.  Rather  unfeel- 
ingly he  writes,  "  The  entreaties  of  my  wife  were 
thrown  in  the  way  of  my  going,  but  all  in  vain ;  for 
I  always  had  a  way  of  just  going  ahead  at  whatever 
I  had  a  mind  to." 

Many  who  have  perused  this  sketch  thus  far, 
may  inquire,  with  some  surprise,  "  What  is  it  which 
has  given  this  man  such  fame  as  is  even  national? 
He  certainly  does  not  develop  a  very  attractive 
character  ;  and  there  is  but  little  of  the  romance  of 
chivalry  thrown  around  his  exploits.  The  secret  is 
probably  to  be  found  in  the  following  considerations, 
the  truth  of  which  the  continuation  of  this  narrative 
will  be  continually  unfolding. 

Without  education,  without  refinement,  with- 
out wealth  or  social  position,  or  any  special  claims 
to  personal  beauty,  he  was  entirely  self-possessed, 


INDIAN   WARFARE.  135 

and  at  home  under  all  circumstances.  He  never 
manifested  the  slightest  embarrassment.  The  idea 
seemed  never  to  have  entered  his  mind  that  there 
could  be  any  person  superior  to  David  Crockett,  or 
any  one  so  humble  that  Crockett  was  entitled  to 
look  down  upon  him  with  condescension.  He  was  a 
genuine  democrat.  All  were  in  his  view  equal.  And 
this  was  not  the  result  of  thought,  of  any  political 
or  moral  principle.  It  was  a  part  of  his  nature,  which 
belonged  to  him  without  any  volition,  like  his  stature 
or  complexion.  This  is  one  of  the  rarest  qualities 
to  be  found  in  any  man.  We  do  not  here  condemn 
it,  or  applaud  it.  We  simply  state  the  fact. 

In  the  army  he  acquired  boundless  populari- 
ty from  his  fun-making  qualities.  In  these  days 
he  was  always  merry.  Bursts  of  laughter  generally 
greeted  Crockett's  approach  and  followed  his  depar- 
ture. He  was  blessed  with  a  memory  which  seemed 
absolutely  never  to  have  forgotten  anything.  His 
mind  was  an  inexhaustable  store-house  of  anecdote. 
These  he  had  ever  at  command.  Though  they  were 
not  always,  indeed  were  seldom,  of  the  most  refined 
nature,  they  were  none  the  less  adapted  to  raise 
shouts  of  merriment  in  cabin  and  camp.  What  Syd- 
ney Smith  was  at  the  banqueting  board  in  the  pala- 
tial saloon,  such  was  David  Crockett  at  the  camp- 
fire  and  in  the  log  hut.  If  ever  in  want  of  an 


136  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

illustrative  anecdote  he  found  no  difficulty  in  man- 
ufacturing one. 

His  thoughtless  kindness  of  heart  and  good 
nature  were  inexhaustible.  Those  in  want  never 
appealed  to  him  in  vain.  He  would  even  go  hungry 
himself  that  he  might  feed  others  who  were  more 
hungry.  He  would,  without  a  moment's  considera- 
tion, spend  his  last  dollar  to  buy  a  blanket  for  a 
shivering  soldier,  and,  without  taking  any  merit  for 
the  deed,  would  never  think  of  it  again.  He  did  it 
without  reflection,  as  he  breathed. 

£>uch  was  the  David  Crockett  who,  from  the 
mere  love  of  adventure,  left  wife  and  children,  in 
the  awful  solitude  of  the  wilderness,  to  follow  Gen- 
eral Jackson  in  a  march  to  Pensacola.  He  seems 
fully  to  have  understood  the  character  of  the  Gen- 
eral, his  merits  and  his  defects.  The  main  body  of 
the  army,  consisting  of  a  little  more  than  two  thou- 
sand men,  had  already  commenced  its  march,  when 
Crockett  repaired  to  a  rendezvous,  in  the  northern 
frontiers  of  Alabama,  where  another  company  was 
being  formed,  under  Major  Russel,  soon  to  follow. 
The  company  numbered  one  hundred  and  thirty 
men,  and  commenced  its  march. 

They  forded  the  Tennessee  River  at  Muscle 
Shoals,  and  marched  south  unmolested,  through  the 
heart  of  the  Choctaw  and  Chickasaw  nations,  and 


INDIAN   WARFARE.  137 

pressed  rapidly  forward  two  or  three  hundred  miles, 
until  they  reached  the  junction  of  the  Tombeckbee 
and  Alabama  rivers,  in  the  southern  section  of  the 
State.  The  main  army  was  now  but  two  days'  march 
before  them.  The  troops,  thus  far,  had  been  mount- 
ed, finding  sufficient  grazing  for  their  horses  by  the 
way.  But  learning  that  there  was  no  forage  to  be 
found  between  there  and  Pensacola,  they  left  their 
animals  behind  them,  under  a  sufficient  guard,  at  a 
place  called  Cut-off,  and  set  out  for  the  rest  of  the 
march,  a  distance  of  about  eighty  miles,  on  foot.  The 
slight  protective  works  they  threw  up  here,  they 
called  Fort  Stoddart. 

These  light  troops,  hardy  men  of  iron  nerves, 
accomplished  the  distance  in  about  two  days.  On 
the  evening  of  the  second  day,  they  reached  an 
eminence  but  a  short  distance  out  from  Pensacola, 
where  they  found  the  army  encamped.  Not  a  little 
to  Crockett's  disappointment,  he  learned  that  Pen- 
sacola was  already  captured.  Thus  he  lost  his 
chance  of  having  "  a  small  taste  of  British  fighting." 

The  British  and  Spaniards  had  obtained  intelli- 
gence of  Jackson's  approach,  and  had  made  every 
preparation  to  drive  him  back.  The  forts  were 
strongly  garrisoned,  and  all  the  principal  streets  of 
the  little  Spanish  city  were  barricaded.  Several 
British  war-vessels  were  anchored  in  the  bay,  and  so 


138  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

placed  as  to  command  with  their  guns  the  principal 
entrance  to  the  town.  Jackson,  who  had  invaded 
the  Spanish  province  unsanctioned  by  the  Govern- 
ment, was  anxious  to  impress  upon  the  Spanish 
authorities  that  the  measure  had  been  reluctantly 
adopted,  on  his  own  authority,  as  a  military  neces- 
sity; that  he  had  no  disposition  to  violate  their 
neutral  rights;  but  that  it  was  indispensable  that 
the  British  should  be  dislodged  and  driven  away. 

The  pride  of  the  Spaniard  was  roused,  and  there 
was  no  friendly  response  to  this  appeal.  But  the 
Spanish  garrison  was  small,  and,  united  with  the 
English  fleet,  could  present  no  effectual  opposition 
to  the  three  thousand  men  under  such  a  lion- 
hearted  leader  as  General  Jackson.  On  the  7th  of 
January  the  General  opened  fire  upon  the  foe.  The 
conflict  was  short.  The  Spaniards  were  compelled 
to  surrender  their  works.  The  British  fled  'to  the 
ships.  The  guns  were  turned  upon  them.  They 
spread  sail  and  disappeared.  Jackson  was  severely 
censured,  at  the  time,  for  invading  the  territory  of 
a  neutral  power.  The  final  verdict  of  his  country- 
men has  been  decidedly  in  his  favor. 

It  was  supposed  that  the  British  would  move  for 
the  attack  of  Mobile.  This  place  then  consisted  of 
a  settlement  of  but  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
houses.  General  Jackson,  with  about  two  thousand 


INDIAN  WARFARE.  139 

men,  marched  rapidly  for  its  defence.  A  few  small, 
broken  bands  of  hostile,  yet  despairing  Creeks,  fled 
back  from  Florida  into  the  wilds  of  Alabama.  A 
detachment  of  nearly  a  thousand  men,  under  Major 
Russell,  were  sent  in  pursuit  of  these  fleas  among 
the  mountains.  Crockett  made  part  of  this  expedi- 
tion. The  pursuing  soldiers  directed  their  steps 
northwest  about  a  hundred  miles  to  Fort  Mont- 
gomery, on  the  Alabama,  just  above  its  confluence 
with  the  Tombeckbee,  about  twelve  miles  above 
Fort  Stoddart.  Not  far  from  there  was  Fort 
Mimms,  where  the  awful  massacre  had  taken  place 
which  opened  the  Creek  war. 

There  were  many  cattle  grazing  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  fort  at  the  time  of  the  massacre,  which 
belonged  to  the  garrison.  These  animals  were  now 
running  wild.  A  thousand  hungry  men  gave  them 
chase.  The  fatal  bullet  soon  laid  them  all  low, 
and  there  was  great  feasting  and  hilarity  in  the 
camp.  The  carouse  was  much  promoted  by  the 
arrival  that  evening  of  a  large  barge,  which  had 
sailed  up  the  Alabama  River  from  Mobile,  with  sugar, 
coffee,  and, — best  of  all,  as  the  soldiers  said — worst 
of  all,  as  humanity  cries, — with  a  large  amount  of 
intoxicating  liquors. 

The  scene  presented  that  night  was  wild  and 
picturesque  in  the  extreme.  The  horses  of  the  army 


140  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

were  scattered  about  over  the  plain  grazing  upon 
the  rich  herbage.  There  was  wood  in  abundance 
near,  and  the  camp-fires  for  a  thousand  men  threw 
up  their  forked  flames,  illumining  the  whole  region 
with  almost  the  light  of  day.  The  white  tents  of 
the  officers,  the  varied  groups  of  the  soldiers,  run- 
ning here  and  there,  in  all  possible  attitudes,  the 
cooking  and  feasting,  often  whole  quarters  of  beef 
roasting  on  enormous  spits  before  the  vast  fires, 
afforded  a  spectacle  such  as  is  rarely  seen. 

One  picture  instantly  arrested  the  eye  of  every 
beholder.  There  were  one  hundred  and  eighty-six 
friendly  Chickasaw  and  Choctaw  Indians,  who  had 
enlisted  in  the  army.  They  formed  a  band  by 
themselves  under  their  own  chiefs.  They  were  all 
nearly  naked,  gorgeously  painted,  and  decorated 
with  the  very  brilliant  attire  of  the  warrior,  with 
crimson-colored  plumes,  and  moccasins  and  leggins 
richly  fringed,  and  dyed  in  bright  and  strongly  con- 
trasting hues.  These  savages  were  in  the  enjoyment 
of  their  greatest  delight,  drinking  to  frenzy,  and 
performing  their  most  convulsive  dances,  around 
the  flaming  fires. 

In  addition  to  this  spectacle  which  met  the  eye, 
there  were  sounds  of  revelry  which  fell  almost  ap- 
pallingly upon  the  ear,  The  wide  expanse  rever- 
berated with  bacchanal  songs,  and  drunken  shouts, 


INDIAN   WARFARE.  14! 

and  frenzied  war-whoops.  These  were  all  blended 
in  an  inextricable  clamor.  With  the  unrefined  emi- 
nently, and  in  a  considerable  degree  with  the  most 
refined,  noise  is  one  of  the  essential  elements  of  fes- 
tivity. A  thousand  men  were  making  all  the  noise 
they  could  in  this  midnight  revel.  Probably  never 
before,  since  the  dawn  of  creation,  had  the  banks  of 
the  Alabama  echoed  with  such  a  clamor  as  in  this 
great  carouse,  which  had  so  suddenly  burst  forth 
from  the  silence  of  the  almost  uninhabited  wilder- 
ness. 

This  is  the  poetry  of  war.  This  it  is  which  lures 
so  many  from  the  tameness  of  ordinary  life  to  the 
rank.5  of  the^army.  In  such  scenes,  Crockett,  burst- 
ing with  fun,  the  incarnation  of  wit  and  good  nature, 
was  in  his  element.  Here  he  was  chief.  All  did 
him  homage.  His  pride  was  gratified  by  his  dis- 
tinction Life  in  his  lonely  hut,  with  wife  and  chil- 
dren, seemed,  in  comparison,  too  spiritless  to  be 
endured 

The  Alabama  here  runs  nearly  west.  The  army 
was  on  the  south  side  of  the  river.  The  next  day 
the  Indians  asked  permission  to  cross  to  the  north- 
ern bank  on  an  exploring  expedition.  Consent  was 
given  ;  but  Major  Russel  decided  to  go  with  them, 
taking  a  company  of  sixteen  men,  of  whom  Crockett 
was  one.  They  crossed  the  river  and  encamped  upon 


142  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

the  other  side,  seeing  no  foe  and  encountering  no 
alarm.  They  soon  came  to  a  spot  where,  the  wind- 
ing river,  overflowing  its  banks,  spread  over  a  wide 
extent  of  the  flat  country.  It  was  about  a  mile  and 
a  half  across  this  inundated  meadow.  To  journey 
around  it  would  require  a  march  of  many  miles. 
They  waded  the  meadow.  The  water  was  very  cold, 
often  up  to  their  armpits,  and  they  stumbled  over 
the  rough  ground.  This  was  not  the  poetry  of  war. 
But  still  there  is  a  certain  degree  of  civilization  in 
which  the  monotony  of  life  is  relieved  by  such 
adventures. 

When  they  reached  the  other  side  they  built 
large  fires,  and  warmed  and  dried  themselves.  They 
were  in  search  of  a  few  fugitive  Indian  warriors, 
who,  fleeing  from  Pensacola,  had  scattered  them- 
selves over  a  wilderness  many -hundred  square 
miles  in  extent.  This  pursuit  of  them,  by  a  thou- 
sand soldiers,  seems  now  very  foolish.  But  it  is 
hardly  safe  for  us,  seated  by  our  quiet  firesides,  and 
with  but  a  limited  knowledge  of  the  circumstances, 
to  pass  judgment  upon  the  measure. 

The  exploring  party  consisted,  as  we  have  men- 
tioned, of  nearly  two  hundred  Indians,  and  sixteen 
white  men.  They  advanced  very  cautiously.  Two 
scouts  were  kept  some  distance  in  the  advance, 
two  on  the  side  nearest  the  river,  and  five  on  their 


INDIAN   WARFARE.  143 

right.  In  this  way  they  had  moved  along  about 
six  miles,  when  the  two  spies  in  front  came  rushing 
breathlessly  back,  with  the  tidings  that  they  had 
discovered  a  camp  of  Creek  Indians.  They  halted 
for  a  few  moments  while  all  examined  their  guns 
and  their  priming  and  prepared  for  battle. 

The  Indians  went  through  certain  religious  cere- 
monies, and  getting  out  their  war-paint,  colored 
their  bodies  anew.  They  then  came  to  Major  Rus- 
sell, and  told  him  that,  as  he  was  to  lead  them  in  the 
battle,  he  must  be  painted  too.  He  humored  them, 
and  was  painted  in  the  most  approved  style  of  an 
Indian  warrior.  The  plan  of  battle  was  arranged 
to  strike  the  Indian  camp  by  surprise,  when  they 
were  utterly  unprepared  for  any  resistance.  The 
white  men  were  cautiously  to  proceed  in  the  ad- 
vance, and  pour  in  a  deadly  fire  to  kill  as  many  as 
possible.  The  Indians  were  then,  taking  advantage 
of  the  panic,  to  rush  in  with  tomahawk  and  scalp- 
ing-knife,  and  finish  the  scene  according  to  their 
style  of  battle,  which  spared  neither  women  nor 
children.  It  is  not  pleasant  to  record  such  a  meas- 
ure. They  crept  along,  concealed  by  the  forest,  and 
guided  by  the  sound  of  pounding,  till  they  caught 
sight  of  the  camp.  A  little  to  their  chagrin  they 
found  that  it  consisted  of  two  peaceful  wigwams, 
where  there  was  a  man,  a  woman,  and  several  chil- 


144  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

dren.  The  wigwams  were  also  on  an  island  of  the 
river,  which  could  not  be  approached  without  boats. 
There  could  not  be  much  glory  won  by  an  army  of 
two  hundred  men  routing  such  a  party  and  destroy- 
ing their  home.  There  was  also  nothing  to  indicate 
that  these  Indians  had  even  any  unfriendly  feelings. 
The  man  and  woman  were  employed  in  bruising 
what  •  was  called  brier  root,  which  they  had  dug 
from  the  forest,  for  food.  It  seems  that  this  was 
the  principal  subsistence  used  by  the  Indians  in 
that  vicinity. 

While  the  soldiers  were  deliberating  what  next 
to  do,  they  heard  a  gun  fired  in  the  direction  of  the 
scouts,  at  some  distance  on  the  right,  followed  by 
a  single  shrill  war-whoop.  This  satisfied  them  that 
if  the  scouts  had  met  with  a  foe,  it  was  indeed  war 
on  a  small  scale.  There  seemed  no  need  for  any 
special  caution.  They  all  broke  and  ran  toward 
the  spot  from  which  the  sounds  came.  They  soon 
met  two  of  the  spies,  who  told  the  following  not 
very  creditable  story,  but  one  highly  characteristic 
of  the  times. 

As  they  were  creeping  along  through  the  forest, 
they  found  two  Indians,  who  they  said  were  Creeks, 
out  hunting.  As  they  were  approaching  each  other, 
it  so  happened  that  there  was  a  dense  cluster  of 
bushes  between  them,  so  that  they  were  within  a 


INDIAN  WARFARE.  145 

few  feet  of  meeting  before  either  party  was  dis- 
covered. The  two  spies  were  Choctaws.  They 
advanced  -directly  to  the  Indians,  and  addressed 
them  in  the  most  friendly  manner ;  stating  that  they 
had  belonged  to  General  Jackson's  army,  but  had 
escaped,  and  were  on  their  way  home.  They  shook 
hands,  kindled  a  fire,  and  sat  down  and  smoked  in 
apparent  perfect  cordiality. 

One  of  the  Creeks  had  a  gun.  The  other  had 
only  a  bow  and  arrows.  After  this  friendly  inter- 
view, they  rose  and  took  leave  of  each  other,  each 
going  in  opposite  directions.  As  soon  as  their 
backs  were  turned,  and  they  were  but  a  few  feet 
from  each  other,  one  of  the  Choctaws  turned  around 
and  shot  the  unsuspecting  Creek  who  had  the  gun. 
He  fell  dead,  without  a  groan.  The  other  Creek 
attempted  to  escape,  while  the  o'ther  Choctaw  snap- 
ped his  gun  at  him  repeatedly,  but  it  missed  fire. 
They  then  pursued  him,  overtook  him,  knocked  him 
down  with  the  butt  of  their  guns,  and  battered  his 
head  until  he  also  was  motionless  in  death.  One 
of  the  Choctaws,  in  his  frenzied  blows,  broke  the 
stock  of  his  rifle.  They  then  fired  off  the  gun  of 
the  Creek  who  was  killed,  and  one  of  them  uttered 
the  war-whoop  which  was  heard  by  the  rest  of  the 
party. 

7 


146  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

These  two  savages  drew  their  scalping-knives 
and  cut  off  the  heads  of  both  their  victims.  As  the 
whole  body  came  rushing  up,  they  found  the  gory 
corpses  of  the  slain,  with  their  dissevered  heads 
u?ar  by.  Each  Indian  had  a  war-club.  With  these 
massive  weapons  each  savage,  in  his  turn,  gave  the 
mutilated  heads  a  severe  blow.  When  they  had  all 
performed  this  barbaric  deed,  Crockett,  whose  pe- 
culiar type  of  good  nature  led  him  not  only  to  desire 
to  please  the  savages,  but  also  to  know  what  would 
please  them,  seized  a  war-club,  and,  in  his  turn, 
smote  with  all  his  strength  the  mangled,  blood- 
stained heads.  The  Indians  were  quite  delighted. 
They  gathered  around  him  with  very  expressive 
grunts  of  satisfaction,  and  patting  him  upon  the 
back,  exclaimed,  "  Good  wrarrior  !  Good  warrior  !" 

The  Indians  then  scalped  the  heads,  and,  leaving 
the  bodies  unburied,  the  whole  party  entered  a  trail 
which  led  to  the  river,  near  the  point  where  the 
two  wigwams  were  standing.  As  they  followed  the 
narrow  path  they  came  upon  the  vestiges  of  a  cruel 
and  bloody  tragedy.  The  mouldering  corpses  of  a 
Spaniard,  his  wife,  and  four  children  lay  scattered 
around,  all  scalped.  Our  hero  Crockett,  who  had  so 
valiantly  smitten  the  dissevered  heads  of  the  two 
Creeks  who  had  been  so  treacherously  murdered, 
confesses  that  the  revolting  spectacle  of  the  whites, 


INDIAN  WARFARE.  147 

scalped  and  half  devoured,  caused  him  to  shudder. 
He  writes  : 

"  I  began  to  feel  mighty  ticklish  along  about 
this  time ;  for  I  knowed  if  there  was  no  danger 
then,  there  had  been,  and  I  felt  exactly  like  there 
still  was." 

The  white  soldiers,  leading  the  Indians,  con- 
tinued their  course  until  they  reached  the  river. 
Following  it  down,  they  came  opposite  the  point 
where  the  wigwams  stood  upon  the  island.  The 
two  Indian  hunters  who  had  been  killed  had  gone 
out  from  this  peaceful  little  encampment.  Several 
Indian  children  were  playing  around,  and  the  man 
and  woman  whom  they  had  before  seen  were  still 
beating  their  roots.  Another  Indian  woman  was 
also  there  seen.  These  peaceful  families  had  no 
conception  of  the  disaster  which  had  befallen  their 
companions  who  were  hunting  in  the  woods.  Even 
if  they  had  heard  the  report  of  the  rifles,  they  could 
only  have  supposed  that  it  was  from  the  guns  of 
the  hunters  firing  at  game. 

The  evening  twilight  was  fading  away.  The 
whole  party  was  concealed  in  a  dense  canebrake 
which  fringed  the  stream.  Two  of  the  Indians 
were  sent  forward  as  a  decoy — a  shameful  decoy — 
to  lure  into  the  hands  of  two  hundred  warriors  an 
unarmed  man,  two  women,  and  eight  or  ten  children. 


148  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

The  Indians  picked  out  some  of  their  best  marks- 
men and  hid  them  behind  trees  and  logs  near  the 
river.  They  were  to  shoot  down  the  Indians  whom 
others  should  lure  to  cross  the  stream.' 

The  creek  which  separated  the  island  from  the 
mainland  was  deep,  but  not  so  wide  but  that  per- 
sons without  much  difficulty  could  make  themselves 
heard  across  it.  Two  of  the  Indians  went  down  to 
the  river-side,  and  hailed  those  at  the  wigwams, 
asking  them  to  send  a  canoe  across  to  take  them 
over.  An  Indian  woman  came  down  to  the  bank 
and  informed  them  that  the  canoe  was  on  their  side, 
that  two  hunters  had  crossed  the  creek  that  morn- 
ing, and  had  not  yet  returned.  These  were  the  two 
men  who  had  been  so  inhumanly  murdered.  Imme- 
diate search  was  made  for  the  canoe,  and  it  was 
found  a  little  above  the  spot  where  the  men  were 
hiding.  It  was  a  very  large  buoyant  birch  canoe, 
constructed  for  the  transportation  of  a  numerous 
household,  with  all  their  goods,  and  such  game  as 
they  might  take. 

This  they  loaded  with  warriors  to  the  water's 
edge,  and  they  began  vigorously  to  paddle  over  to 
the  island.  When  the  one  solitary  Indian  man 
there  saw  this  formidable  array  approaching  he  fled 
into  the  woods.  The  warriors  landed,  and  captured 
the  two  women  and  the  little  children,  ten  in  num- 


INDIAN   WARFARE.  149 

ber,  and  conveyed  their  prisoners,  with  the  plunder 
of  the  wigwams,  back  across  the  creek  to  their  own 
encampment.  This  was  not  a  very  brilliant  achieve- 
ment to  be  accomplished  by  an  army  of  two  hundred 
warriors  aided  by  a  detachment  of  sixteen  white 
men  under  Major  Russel.  What  finally  became  of 
these  captives  we  know  not.  It  is  gratifying  to  be 
informed  by  David  Crockett  that  they  did  not  kill 
either  the  squaws  or  the  pappooses. 

The  company  then  marched  through  the  silent 
wilderness,  a  distance  of  about  thirty  miles  east,  to 
the  Conecuh  River.  This  stream,  in  its  picturesque 
windings  through  a  region  where  even  the  Indian 
seldom  roved,  flowed  into  the  Scambia,  the  principal 
river  which  pours  its  floods,  swollen  by  many  tribu- 
taries, into  Pensacola  Bay.  It  was  several  miles 
above  the  point  where  the  detachment  struck  the 
river  that  the  Indian  encampment,  to  which  the  two 
murdered  men  had  alluded,  was  located.  But  the 
provisions  of  the  party  were  exhausted.  There  was 
scarcely  any  game  to  be  found.  Major  Russel  did 
not  deem  it  prudent  to  march  to  the  attack  of  the 
encampment,  until  he  had  obtained  a  fresh  supply 
of  provisions.  The  main  body  of  the  army,  which  had 
remained  in  Florida,  moving  slowly  about,  without 
any  very  definite  object,  waiting  for  something  to 


ISO  DAVID  CROCKETT. 

turn  up,  was  then  upon  the  banks  of  the  Scambia. 
Colonel  Blue  was  in  command. 

David  Crockett  was  ordered  to  take  a  light  birch 
canoe,  and  two  men,  one  a  friendly  Creek  Indian, 
and  paddle  down  the  stream  about  twenty  miles  to 
the  main  camp.  Here  he  was  to  inform  Colonel 
Blue  of  Major  Russel's  intention  to  ascend  the 
Conecuh  to  attack  the  Creeks,  and  to  request  the 
Colonel  immediately  to  dispatch  some  boats  up  the 
river  with  the  needful  supplies. 

It  was  a  romantic  adventure  descending  in  the 
darkness  that  wild  and  lonely  stream,  winding 
through  the  dense  forest  of  wonderful  exuberance  of 
vegetation.  In  the  early  evening  he  set  out.  The 
night  proved  very  dark.  The  river,  swollen  by 
recent  rains,  overflowed  its  banks  and  spread  far  and 
wide  over  the  low  bottoms.  The  river  was  extremely 
crooked,  and  it  was  with  great  difficulty  that  they 
could  keep  the  channel.  But  the  instinct  of  the 
Indian  guide  led  them  safely  along,  through  over- 
hanging boughs  and  forest  glooms,  until,  a  little 
before  midnight,  they  reached  the  camp.  There 
was  no  time  to  be  lost.  Major  Russel  was  anxious 
to  have  the  supplies  that  very  night  dispatched  to 
him,  lest  the  Indians  should  hear  of  their  danger 
and  should  escape. 

But  Colonel  Blue  did  not  approve  of  the  expedi- 


INDIAN   WARFARE.  !$! 

tiori.  There  was  no  evidence  that  the  Indian  en- 
campment consisted  of  anything  more  than  half  a 
dozen  wigwams,  where  a  few  inoffensive  savages,  with 
their  wives  and  children,  were  eking  out  a  half- 
starved  existence  by  hunting,  fishing,  and  digging  up 
roots  from  the  forest.  It  did  not  seem  wise  to  send 
an  army  of  two  hundred  and  sixteen  men  to  carry 
desolation  and  woe  to  such  humble  homes.  Crockett 
was  ordered  to  return  with  this  message  to  the 
Major.  Military  discipline,  then  and  there,  was  not 
very  rigid.  He  hired  another  man  to  carry  back  the 
unwelcome  answer  in  his  place.  In  the  light  canoe 
the  three  men  rapidly  ascended  the  sluggish  stream. 
Just  as  the  sun  was  rising  over  the  forest,  they 
reached  the  camp  of  Major  Russell.  The  detach- 
ment then  immediately  commenced  its  march  down 
the  River  Scambia,  and  joined  the  main  body  at  a 
point  called  Miller's  Landing.  Here  learning  that 
some  fugitive  Indians  were  on  the  eastern  side  of 
the  stream,  a  mounted  party  was  sent  across,  swim- 
ming their  horses,  and  several  Indians  were  hunted 
down  and  shot. 

Soon  after  this,  the  whole  party,  numbering 
nearly  twelve  hundred  in  all,  commenced  a  toilsome 
march  of  about  two  or  three  hundred  miles  across 
the  State  to  the  Chattahoochee  River,  which  consti- 
tutes the  boundary-line  between  Southern  Alabama 


152  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

and.  Georgia.  Their  route  led  through  pathless  wilds. 
No  provisions,  of  any  importance,  could  be  found 
by  the  way.  They  therefore  took  with  them  rations 
for  twenty-eight  days.  But  "their  progress  was  far 
more  slow  and  toilsome  than  they  had  anticipated. 
Dense  forests  were  to  be  threaded,  where  it  was 
necessary  for  them  to  cut  their  way  through  almost 
tropical  entanglement  of  vegetation.  Deep  and 
broad  marshes  were  to  be  waded,  where  the  horses 
sank  almost  to  their  saddle-girths.  There  were 
rivers  to  be  crossed,  which  could  only  be  forded  by 
ascending  the  banks  through  weary  leagues  of 
wilderness. 

Thus,  when  twenty-eight  days  had  passed,  and 
their  provisions  were  nearly  expended,  though  they 
had  for  some  time  been  put  on  short  allowance,  they 
found  that  they  had  accomplished  but  three-quarters 
of  their  journey.  Actual  starvation  threatened  them. 
But  twice  in  nineteen  days  did  Crockett  taste  of 
any  bread.  Despondency  spread  its  gloom  over  the 
half-famished  army.  Still  they  toiled  along,  almost 
hopeless,  with  tottering  footsteps.  War  may  have 
its  excitements  and  its  charms.  But  such  a  march 
as  this,  of  woe-begone,  emaciate,  skeleton  bands,  is 
not  to  be  counted  as  among  war's  pomps  and 
glories. 

One  evening,  in    the   deepening  -twilight,  when 


INDIAN    WARFARE.  153 

they  had  been  out  thirty-four  days,  the  Indian  scouts, 
ever  sent  in  advance,  came  into  camp  with  the 
announcement,  that  at  the  distance  of  but  a  few 
hours'  march  before  them,  the  Chattahoochee  River 
was  to  be  found,  with  a  large  Indian  village  upon  its 
banks.  We  know  not  what  reason  there  was  to  sup- 
pose that  the  Indians  inhabiting  this  remote  village 
were  hostile.  But  as  the  American  officers  decided 
immediately  upon  attacking  them,  we  ought  to  sup- 
pose that  they,  on  the  ground,  had  sufficient  reason 
to  justify  this  course. 

The  army  was  immediately  put  in  motion.  The 
rifles  were  loaded  and  primed,  and  the  flints  care- 
fully examined,  that  they  might  not  fall  into  ambush 
unprepared.  The  sun  was  just  rising  as  they  cau- 
tiously approached  the  doomed  village.  There  was 
a  smooth  green  meadow  a  few  rods  in  width  on  the 
western  bank  of  the  river,  skirted  by  the  boundless 
forest.  The  Indian  wigwams  and  lodges,  of  varied 
structure,  were  clustered  together  on  this  treeless, 
grassy  plain,  in  much  picturesque  beauty.  The 
Indians  had  apparently  not  been  apprised  of  the 
approach  of  the  terrible  tempest  of  war  about  to 
descend  upon  them.  Apparently,  at  that  early  hour, 
they  were  soundly  asleep.  Not  a  man,  woman,  or 
child  was  to  be  seen. 

Silently,   screened    by    thick   woods,   the   army 
«* 


154  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

formed  in  line  of  battle.  The  two  hundred  Indian 
warriors,  rifle  in  hand  and  tomahawk  at  belt,  stealth- 
ily took  their  position.  The  white  men  took  theirs. 
At  a  given  signal,  the  war-whoop  burst  from  the  lips 
of  the  savages,  and  the  wild  halloo  of  the  backwoods- 
men reverberated  through  the  forest,  as  both  parties 
rushed  forward  in  the  impetuous  charge.  "  We  were 
all  so  furious,"  writes  Crockett,  "  that  even  the  cer- 
tainty of  a  pretty  hard  fight  could  not  have  restrained 
us." 

But  to  the  intense  mortification  of  these  valiant 
men,  not  a  single  living  being  was  to  be  found  as 
food  for  bullet  or  tomahawk.  The  huts  were  all 
deserted,  and  despoiled  of  every  article  of  any  value. 
There  was  not  a  skin,  or  an  unpicked  bone,  or  a 
kernel  of  corn  left  behind.  The  Indians  had  watched 
the  march  of  the  foe,  and,  with  their  wives  and  little 
ones,  had  retired  to  regions  where  the  famishing 
army  could  not  follow  them 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Camp  and  the  Cabin. 

Deplorable  Condition  of  the  Army. — Its  Wanderings. — Crockett's 
Benevolence. — Cruel '  Treatment  of  the  Indians. — A  Gleam  of 
Good  Luck.— The  Joyful  Feast.— Crockett's  Trade  with  the  In- 
dian.— Visit  to  the  Old  Battle-field.  —  Bold  Adventure  of 
Crockett.— His  Arrival  Home.— Death  of  his  Wife.— Second 
Marriage. — Restlessness. — Exploring  Tour. — Wild  Adventures. 
— Dangerous  Sickness. — Removal  to  the  West. — His  New  Home. 

THE  army,  far  away  in  the  wilds  of  Southern 
Alabama,  on  the  banks  of  the  almost  unknown 
Chattahoochee,  without  provisions,  and  with  leagues 
of  unexplored  wilderness  around,  found  itself  in 
truly  a  deplorable  condition.  The  soldiers  had 
hoped  to  find,  in  the  Indian  village,  stores  of  beans 
and  corn,  and  quantities  of  preserved  game.  In  the 
impotence  of  their  disappointment  they  applied  the 
torch,  and  laid  the  little  village  in  ashes. 

A  council  was  held,  and  it  was  deemed  best  to 
divide  their  forces.  Major  Childs  took  one-half  of 
the  army  and  retraced  their  steps  westward,  direct- 
ing their  course  toward  Baton  Rouge,  where  they 
hoped  to  find  General  Jackson  with  a  portion  of 
the  army  with  which  he  was  returning  from  New 


156  DAVID    CROCKETT. 

Orleans.  The  other  division,  under  Major  Russel, 
pressed  forward,  as  rapidly  as  possible,  nearly  north, 
aiming  for  Fort  Decatur,  on  the  Tallapoosa  River, 
where  they  expected  to  find  shelter  and  provisions. 
Crockett  accompanied  Major  Russel's  party.  In- 
dian sagacity  was  now  in  great  requisition.  The 
friendly 'savages  led  the  way  through  scenes  of  diffi- 
culty and  entanglement  where,  but  for  their  aid, 
the  troops  might  all  have  perished.  So  great  was 
the  destitution  of  food  that  the  soldiers  were  per- 
mitted to  stray,  almost  at  pleasure,  on  either  side  of 
the  line. of  march.  Happy  was  the  man  who  could 
shoot  a  raccoon  or  a  squirrel,  or  even  the  smallest 
bird.  Implicit  confidence  was  placed  in  the  guid- 
ance of  the  friendly  Indians,  and  the  army  followed 
in  single  file,  along  the  narrow  trail  which  the  In- 
dians trod  before  them. 

Crockett,  in  this  march,  had  acquired  so  much 
the  confidence  of  the  officers  that  he  seems  to  have 
enjoyed  quite  unlimited  license.  He  went  where 
he  pleased  and  did  what  he  would.  Almost  invari- 
ably at  night,  keeping  pace  with  the  army,  he  would 
bring  in  some  small  game,  a  bird  or  a  squirrel,  and 
frequently  several  of  these  puny  animals.  It  was  a 
rule,  when  night  came,  for  all  the  hunters  to  throw 
down  what  they  had  killed  in  one  pile.  This  was  then 
divided  among  the  messes  as  equitably  as  possible. 


THE   CAMP  AND   THE   CABIN.  1 57 

One  night,  Crockett  returned  empty-handed. 
He  had  killed  nothing,  and  he  was  very  hungry. 
But  there  was  a  sick  man  in  his  mess,  who  was  suf- 
fering far  more  than  he.  Crockett,  with  his  inva- 
riable unselfishness  and  generosity,  forgot  his  own 
hunger  in  his  solicitude  for  his  sick  comrade.  He 
went  to  the  fire  of  Captain  Cowen,  who  was  com- 
mandant of  the  company  to  which  Crockett  be- 
longed, and  told  him  his  story.  Captain  Cowen 
was  broiling,  for  his  supper,  the  gizzard  of  a  turkey. 
He  told  Crockett  that  the  turkey  was  all  that  had 
fallen  to  the  share  of  his  company  that  night,  and 
that  the  bird  had  already  been-  divided,  in  very 
small  fragments,  among  the  sick.  There  was  no- 
thing left  for  Crockett's  friend. 

On  this  march  the  army  was  divided  into  messes 
of  eight  or  ten  men,  who  cooked  and  ate  their  food 
together.  This  led  Crockett  to  decide  that  he  and 
his  mess  would  separate  themselves  from  the  rest 
of  the  army,  and  make  a  small  and  independent 
band.  The  Indian  scouts,  well  armed  and  very 
wary,  took  the  lead.  They  kept  several  miles  in 
advance  of  the  main  body  of  the  troops,  that  they 
might  give  timely  warning  should  they  encounter 
any  danger.  Crockett  and  his  mess  kept  close  after 
them,  following  their  trail,  and  leaving  the  army  one 
or  two  miles  behind. 


158  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

One  day  the  scouts  came  across  nine  Indians. 
We  are  not  informed  whether  they  were  friends  or 
enemies,  whether  they  were  hunters  or  warriors, 
whether  they  were  men,  women,  or  children,  whether 
they  were  in  their  wigwams  or  wandering  through 
the  forest,  whether  they  were  all  together  or  were 
found  separately  :  we  are  simply  told  that  they  were 
all  shot  down.  The  circumstances  of  the  case  are 
such,that  the  probabilities  are  very  strong  that  they 
were  shot  as  a  wolf  or  a  bear  would  be  shot,  at  sight, 
without  asking  any  questions.  The  next  day  the 
scouts  found  a  frail  encampment  where  there  were 
three  Indians.  They  shot  them  all. 

The  sufferings  of  the  army,  as  it  toiled  along 
through  these  vast  realms  of  unknown  rivers  and 
forest  glooms,  and  marshes  and  wide-spread,  flower- 
bespangled  prairies,  became  more  and  more  severe. 
Game  was  very  scarce.  For  three  days,  Crockett's 
party  killed  barely  enough'  to  sustain  life.  He 
writes : 

"  At  last  we  all  began  to  get  nearly  ready  to  give 
up  the  ghost,  and  lie  down  and  die,  for  we  had  no 
prospect  of  provision,  and  we  knowed  we  couldn't  go 
much  farther  without  it." 

While  in  this  condition  they  came  upon  one  of 
those  wide  and  beautiful  prairies  which  frequently 
embellish  the  landscape  of  the  South  and  the  West. 


THE   CAMP  AND   THE   CABIN.  159 

This  plain  was  about  six  miles  in  width,  smooth  as  a 
floor,  and  waving  with  tall  grass  and  the  most  bril- 
liantly colored  flowers.  It  was  bordered  with  a 
forest  of  luxuriant  growth,  but  not  a  tree  dotted  its 
surface.  They  came  upon  a  trail  leading  through 
the  tall,  thick,  grass.  Crockett's  practised  eye  saw 
at  once  that  it  was  not  a  trail  made  by  human  foot- 
steps, but  the  narrow  path  along  which  deer  strolled 
and  turkeys  hobbled  in  their  movement  across  the 
field  from  forest  to  forest. 

Following  this  trail,  they  soon  came  to  a  creek 
of  sluggish  water.  The  lowlands  on  each  side  were 
waving  with  a  rank  growth  of  wild  rye,  presenting  a 
very  green  and  beautiful  aspect.  The  men  were  all 
mounted,  as  indeed  was  nearly  the  whole  army. 
By  grazing  and  browsing,  the  horses,  as  they  moved 
slowly  along  at  a  foot-pace,  kept  in  comfortable 
flesh.  This  rye-field  presented  the  most  admirable 
pasturage  for  the  horses.  Crockett  and  his  com- 
rades dismounted,  and  turned  the  animals  loose. 
There  was  no  danger  of  their  straying  far  in  so  fat  a 
field. 

Crockett  and  another  man,  Vanzant  by  name, 
leaving  the  horses  to  feed,  pushed  across  the  plain 
to  the  forest,  in  search  of  some  food  for  themselves. 
They  wandered  for  some  time,  and  found  nothing. 
At  length,  Crockett  espied  a  squirrel  on  the  limb  of 


l6o      .  DAVID  CROCKETT. 

a  tall  tree.  He  shot  at  the  animal  and  wounded  it, 
but  it  succeeded  in  creeping  into  a  small  hole  in  the 
tree,  thirty  feet  from  the  ground.  There  was  not  a 
limb  for  that  distance  to  aid  in  climbing.  Still  the 
wants  of  the  party  were  such  that  Crockett  climbed 
the  tree  to  get  the  squirrel,  and  felt  that  he  had 
gained  quite  a  treasure. 

"  I  shouldn't  relate  such  small  matters,"  he 
writes,  "  only  to  show  what  lengths  a  hungry  man 
will  go  to,  to  get  something  to  eat." 

Soon  after,  he  killed  two  more  squirrels.  Just  as 
he  was  reloading  his  gun,  a  large  flock  of  fat  turkeys 
rose  from  the  marshy  banks  of  the  creek  along  which 
they  were  wandering,  and  flying  but,a  short  distance, 
relighted.  Vanzant  crept  forward,  and  aiming  at  a 
large  gobbler,  fired,  and  brought  him  down.  The 
flock  immediately  flew  back  to  near  the  spot  where 
Crockett  stood.  He  levelled  his  rifle,  took  delibe- 
rate aim,  and  another  fine  turkey  fell.  The  flock 
then  disappeared. 

The  two  hunters  made  the  forest  resound  with 
shouts  of  triumph.  They  had  two  large,  fat  turkeys, 
which  would  be  looked  at  wistfully  upon  any  gour- 
mand's table,  and  for  side-dishes'  they  had  three 
squirrels.  Thus  they  were  prepared  for  truly  a 
thanksgiving  feast.  Hastily  they  returned'  with 
their  treasure,  when  they  learned  that  the  others  of 


THE   CAMP  AND   THE   CABIN.  l6l 

their  party  had  found  a  bee-tree,  that  is,  a  tree 
where  a  swarm  of  bees  had  taken  lodgment,  and 
were  laying  in  their  winter  stores.  They  cut  down 
the  tree  with  their  hatchets,  and  obtained  an  ample 
supply  of  wild  honey.  They  all  felt  that  they  had 
indeed  fallen  upon  a  vein  of  good  luck. 

It  was  but  a  short  distance  from  the  creek  to 
the  gigantic  forest,  rising  sublimely  in  its  luxuriance, 
with  scarcely  an  encumbering  shrub  of  undergrowth. 
They  entered  the  edge  of  the  forest,  built  a  hot 
fire,  roasted  their  game,  and,  while  their  horses  were 
enjoying  the  richest  of  pasturage,  they,  with  their 
keen  appetites,  enjoyed  a  more  delicious  feast  than 
far-famed  Delmonico  ever  provided  for  his  epicurean 
guests. 

The  happy  party,  rejoicing  in  the  present,  and 
taking  no  thought  for  the  morrow,  spent  the  night 
in  this  camp  of  feasting.  The  next  morning  they 
were  reluctant  to  leave  such  an  inviting  hunting- 
ground.  Crockett  and  Vanzant  again  took  to  their 
rifles,  and  strolled  into  the  forest  in  search  of  game. 
Soon  they  came  across  a  fine  buck,  which  seemed  to 
have  tarried  behind  to  watch  the  foe,  while  the  rest 
of  the  herd,  of  which  he  was  protector,  had  taken  to 
flight.  The  beautiful  creature,  with  erect  head  and 
spreading  antlers,  gallantly  stopping  to  investigate 
the  danger  to  which  his  family  was  exposed,  would 


1 62  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

have  moved  the  sympathies  of  any  one  but  a  profess- 
ed hunter.  Crockett's  bullet  struck  him,  wounded 
him  severely,  and  he  limped  away.  Hotly  the  two 
hunters  pursued.  They  came  to  a  large  tree  which 
had  been  blown  down,  and  was  partly  decayed. 
An  immense  grizzly  bear  crept  growling  from  the 
hollow  of  this  tree,  and  plunged  into  the  forest. 
It  was  in  vain  to  pursue  him,  without  dogs  to  re- 
tard his  flight.  They  however  soon  overtook  the 
wounded  buck,  and  shot  him.  With  this  treasure 
of  venison  upon  their  shoulders,  they  had  but  just 
returned  to  their  camp  when  the  main  body  of  the 
army  came  up.  The  game  which  Crockett  had 
taken,  and  upon  which  they  had  feasted  so  abund- 
antly, if  divided  among  twelve  hundred  men,  would 
not  have  afforded  a  mouthful  apiece. 

The  army  was  in  the  most  deplorable  condition 
of  weakness  and  hunger.  Ere  long  they  reached 
the  Coosa,  and  followed  up  its  eastern  bank. 
About  twenty  miles  above  the  spot  where  they 
struck  the  river  there  was  a  small  military  post, 
called  Fort  Decatur.  They  hoped  to  find  some  food 
there.  And  yet,  in  that  remote,  almost  inaccessible 
station,  they  could  hardly  expect  to  meet  with  any- 
thing like  a  supply  for  twelve  hundred  half-famished 
men. 

Upon  reaching  the  river,  Crockett  took  a  canoe 


THE   CAMP  AND   THE  CABIN.  163 

and  paddled  across.  On  the  other  shore  he  found 
an  Indian.  Instead  of  shooting  him,  he  much 
more  sensibly  entered  into  relations  of  friendly 
trade  with  the  savage.  The  Indian  had  a  little 
household  in  his  solitary  wigwam,  and  a  small  quan- 
tity of  corn  in  store.  Crockett  wore  a  large  hat. 
Taking  it  from  his  head,  he  offered  the  Indian  a  sil- 
ver dollar  if  he  would  fill  it  with  corn.  But  the  lit- 
tle bit  of  silver,  with  enigmatical  characters  stamped 
upon  it,  was  worth  nothing  to  the  Indian.  He  de- 
clined the  offer.  Speaking  a  little  broken  English, 
he  inquired,  "  You  got  any  powder  ?  You  got  any 
bullets?  "  Crockett  told  him  he  had.  He  promptly 
replied,  "  Me  will  swap  my  corn  for  powder  and 
bullets." 

Eagerly  the  man  gave  a  hatful  of  corn  for  ten 
bullets  and  ten  charges  of  powder.  He  then  offered 
another  hatful  at  the  same  price.  Crockett  took 
off  his  hunting-shirt,  tied  it  up  so  as  to  make  a  sort 
of  bag,  into  which  he  poured  his  two  hatfuls  of 
corn.  With  this  great  treasure  he  joyfully  paddled 
across  the  stream  to  rejoin  his  companions.  It  is 
pleasant  to  think  that  the  poor  Indian  was  not  shot, 
that  his  wigwam  was  not  burned  over  his  head,  and 
that  he  was  left  with  means  to  provide  his  wife  and 
children  with  many  luxurious  meals. 

The  army  reached   Fort  Decatur.     One   single 


1 64  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

meal  consumed  all  the  provisions  which  the  gar- 
rison could  by  any  possibility  spare.  They  had 
now  entered  upon  a  rough,  hilly,  broken  country. 
The  horses  found  but  little  food,  and  began  to  give 
out.  About  fifty  miles  farther  up  the  Coosa  River 
there  was  another  military  station,  in  the  lonely 
wilds,  called  Fort  William.  Still  starving,  and  with 
tottering  horses,  they  toiled  on.  Parched  corn,  and 
but  a  scanty  supply  of  that,  was  now  almost  their 
only  subsistence. 

They  reached  the  fort.  One  ration  of  pork  and 
one  ration  of  flour  were  mercifully  given  them.  It 
was  all  which  could  be  spared.  To  remain  where 
they  were  was  certain  starvation.  Forty  miles 
above  them  on  the  same  stream  was  Fort  Strother. 
Sadly  they  toiled  along.  The  skeleton  horses  drop- 
ped beneath  their  riders,  and  were  left,  saddled  and 
bridled,  for  the  vultures  and  the  wolves.  On  their 
route  to  Fort  Strother  they  passed  directly  by  the 
ancient  Indian  fort  of  Talladega.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  a  terrible  battle  had  been  fought  here 
by  General  Jackson  with  the  Indians,  on  the  /th 
of  December,  1813.  In  the  carnage  of  that  bloody 
day  nearly  five  hundred  Indians  fell.  Those  who 
escaped  scattered  far  and  wide.  A  few  of  them 
sought  refuge  in  distant  Florida. 

The   bodies   of    the   slain    were   left    unburied. 


THE   CAMP   AND   THE   CABIN.  165 

Slowly  the  flesh  disappeared  from  the  bones,  either 
devoured  by  wild  beasts  or  decomposed  by  the  ac- 
tion of  the  atmosphere.  The  field,  as  now  visited, 
presented  an  appalling  aspect.  Crockett  writes  : 

"  We  went  through  the  old   battle-ground,  and  . 
it  looked  like  a  great  gourd-patch.     The  skulls  of 
the  Indians  who  were  killed,  still  lay  scattered  all 
about.     Many  of  their  frames  were  still  perfect,  as 
their  bones  had  not  separated." 

As  they  were  thus  despairingly  tottering  along, 
they  came  across  a  narrow  Indian  trail,  with  fresh 
footmarks,  indicating  that  moccasined  Indians  had 
recently  passed  along.  It  shows  how  little  they 
had  cause  to  fear  from  the  Indians,  that  Crockett, 
entirely  alone,  should  have  followed  that  trail,  trust- 
ing that  it  would  lead  him  to  some  Indian  village, 
where  he  could  hope  to  buy  some  more  corn.  He 
was  not  deceived  in  his  expectation.  After  thread- 
ing the  narrow  and  winding  path  about  five  miles,  he 
came  to  a  cluster  of  Indian  wigwams.  Boldly  he 
entered  the  little  village,  without  apparently  the 
slightest  apprehension  that  he  should  meet  with  any 
unfriendly  reception. 

•  He  was  entirely  at  the  mercy  of  the  savages. 
Even  if  he  were  murdered,  it  would  never  be  known 
by  whom.  And  if  it  were  known,  the  starving  army, 
miles  away,  pressing  along  in  its  flight,  was  in  no 


1 66  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

condition  to  send  a  detachment  to  endeavor  to 
avenge  the  deed.  The  savages  received  him  as 
though  he  had  been  one  of  their  own  kith  and  kin, 
and  readily  exchanged  corn  with  him,  for  powder  and 
bullets.  He  then  returned,  but  did  not  overtake 
the  rest  of  the  army  until  late  in  the  night. 

The  next  morning  they  were  so  fortunate  as  to 
encounter  a  detachment  of  United  States  troops 
on  the_ -march, to  Mobile.  v  These  troops,  having  just 
commenced  their  journey,  were  well  supplied ;  and 
they  liberally  distributed  their  corn  and  provisions. 
Here  Crockett  found  his  youngest  brother,  who  had 
enlisted  for  the  campaign.  There  were  also  in  the 
band  many  others  of  his  old  friends  and  neigh- 
bors. The  succeeding  day,  the  weary  troops,  much 
refreshed,  reached  a  point  on  the  River  Coosa  oppo- 
site Fort  Strother,  and  crossing  the  stream,  found 
there  shelter  and  plenty  of  provisions. 

We  know  not,  and  do  not  care  to  know,  who  was 
responsible  for  this  military  movement,  which  seems 
to  us  now  as  senseless  as  it  was  cruel  and  disastrous. 
But  it  is  thus  that  poor  humanity  has  ever  gone 
blundering  on,  displaying  but  little  wisdom  in  its 
affairs.  Here  Crockett  had  permission  to  visit  -his 
home,  though  he  still  owed  the  country  a  month  of 
service.  In  his  exceeding  rude,  unpolished  style, 
which  pictures  the  man,  he  writes: 


THE   CAMP  AND   THE   CABIN.  1 67 

"Once  more  I  was  safely  landed  at  home  with  my 
wife  and  children.  I  found  them  all  well  and  doing 
well ;  and  though  I  was  only  a  rough  sort  of  back- 
woodsman, they  seemed  mighty  glad  to  see  me, 
however  little  the  quality  folks  might  suppose  it. 
For  I  do  reckon  we  love  as  hard  in  the  backwood 
country  as  any  people  in  the  whole  creation. 

"  But  I  had  been  home  only  a  few  days,  when 
we  received  orders  to  start  again,  and  go  on  to  the 
Black  Warrior  and  Cahaula  rivers,  to  see  if  there 
were  no  Indians  there.  I  know'd  well  enough  there 
was  none,  and  I  wasn't  willing  to  trust  my  craw  *  any 
more  where  there  was  neither  any  fighting  to  do,  nor 
anything  to  go  on.  So  I  agreed  to  give  a  young  man, 
who  wanted  to  go,  the  balance  of  my  wages,  if  he 
would  serve  out  my  time,  which  was  about  a  month. 

"  He  did  so.  And  when  they  returned,  sure 
enough  they  hadn't  seen  an  Indian  any  more  than  if 
they  had  been,  all  the  time,  chopping  wood  in  my 
clearing.  This  closed  my  career  as  a  warrior ;  and 
I  am  glad  of  it  ;  for  I  like  life  now  a  heap  better 
than  I  did  then.  And  I  am  glad  all  over  that  I  lived 
to  see  these  times,  which  I  should  not  have  done  if  I 
had  kept  fooling  along  in  war,  and  got  used  up  at 
it.  When  I  say  I  am  glad,  I  just  mean  that  I  am 

*  He  probably  means  his  stomach,  the  crop  of  birds  being  so 

called. 


1 68  DAVID  CROCKETT. 

glad  that  I  am  alive,  for  there  is  a  confounded  heap 
of  things  I  ain't  glad  of  at  all." 

When  Crockett  wrote  the  above  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of.Congress,  and  a  very  earnest  politician.  He 
was  much  opposed  to  the  measure  of  President 
Jackson  in  removing  the  deposits  from  the  United 
States  Bank — a  movement  which  greatly  agitated 
the  whole  country  at  that  time.  In  speaking  of 
things  of  which  he  was  not  glad,  he  writes  : 

"  I  ain't  glad,  for  example,  that  the  Government 
moved  the  deposits  ;  and  if  my  military  glory  should 
take  such  a  turn  as  to  make  me  President  after  the 
General's  time,  I  will  move  them  back.  Yes,  I  the 
Government,  will  take  the  responsibility,  and  move 
them  back  ag*ain.  If  I  don't  I  wish  I  may  be  shot." 

The  hardships  of  war  had  blighted  Crockett's 
enthusiasm  for  wild  adventures,  and  had  very  consid- 
erably sobered  him.  He  remained  at  home  for  two 
years,  diligently  at  work  upon  his  farm.  .  The  battle 
of  New  Orleans  was  fought.  The  war  with  England 
closed,  and  peace  was  made  with  the  poor  Indians, 
who,  by  British  intrigue,  had  been  goaded  to  the 
disastrous  fight.  Death  came  to  the  cabin  of 
Crockett ;  and  his  faithful  wife,  the  tender  mother 
of  his  children,  was  taken  from  him.  We  cannot 
refrain  from  quoting  his  own  account  of  this  event, 
as  it  does  much  honor  to  his  heart. 


THE   CAMP  AND   THE   CABIN.  169 

"  In  this  time  I  met  with  the  hardest  trial  which 
ever  falls  to  the  lot  of  man.  Death,  that  cruel 
leveller  of  all  distinctions,  to  whom  the  prayers  and 
tears  of  husbands,  and  even  of  helpless  infancy,  are 
addressed  in  vain,  entered  my  humble  cottage,  and 
tore  from  my  children  an  affectionate,  good  mother, 
and  from  me  a  tender  and  loving  wife.  It  is  a  scene 
long  gone  by,  and  one  which  it  would  be  supposed 
I  had  almost  forgotten.  Yet  when  I  turn  my 
memory  back  upon  it,  it  seems  but  as  the  work  of 
yesterday. 

"  It  was  the  doing  of  the  Almighty,  whose  ways 
are  always  right,  though  we  sometimes  think  they 
fall  heavily  on  us.  And  as  painful  as  even  yet  is  the 
remembrance  of  her  sufferings,  and  the  loss  sus- 
tained by  my  little  children  and  myself,  yet  I  have 
no  wish  to  lift  up  the  voice  of  complaint.  I  was  left 
with  three  children.  The  two  eldest  were  sons,  the 
youngest  a  daughter,  and  at  that  time  a  mere  infant. 
It  appeared  to  me,  at  that  moment,  that  my  situa- 
tion was  the  worst  in  the  world. 

"  I  couldn't  bear  the  thought  of  scattering  my 
children  ;  and  so  I  got  my  youngest  brother,  who 
was  also  married,  and  his  family,  to  live  with  me. 
They  took  as  good  care  of  my  children  as  they  well 
could  ;  but  yet  it  wasn't  all  like  the  care  of  a  mother. 
And  though  their  company  was  to  me,  in  every 
8 


I/O  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

respect,  like  that  of  a  brother  and  sister,  yet  it  fell 
far  short  of  being  like  that  of  a  wife.  So  I  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  it  wouldn't  do,  but  that  I  must 
have  another  wife." 

One  sees  strikingly,  in  the  above  quotation,  the 
softening  effect  of  affliction  on  the  human  heart. 
There  was  a  widow  in  the  neighborhood,  a  very 
worthy  woman,  who  had  lost  her  husband  in  the 
war.  She  had  two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter, 
both  quite  young.  She  owned  a  snug  little  farm, 
and  being  a  very  capable  woman,  was  getting  along 
quite  comfortably.  Crockett  decided  that  he  should 
make  a  good  step-father  to  her  children,  and  she  a 
good  step-mother  for  his.  The  courtship  was  in 
accordance  with  the  most  approved  style  of  country 
love-making.  It  proved  to  be  a  congenial  marriage. 
The  two  families  came  very  harmoniously  together, 
and  in  their  lowly  hut  enjoyed  peace  and  content- 
ment such  as  frequently  is  not  found  in  more  ambi- 
tious homes. 

But  the  wandering  propensity  was  inherent  in 
the  very  nature  of  Crockett.  He  soon  tired  of  the 
monotony  of  a  farmer's  life,  and  longed  for  change. 
A  few  months  after  his  marriage  he  set  out,  .with 
three  of  his  neighbors,  all  well  mounted,  on  an  ex- 
ploring tour  into  Central  Alabama,  hoping  to  find 
new  homes  there.  Taking  a  southerly  course,  they 


THE   CAMP  AND   THE   CABIN.  I/I 

crossed  the  Tennessee  River,  and  striking  the  upper 
waters  of  the  Black  Warrior,  followed  down  that 
stream  a  distance  of  about  two  hundred  miles  from 
their  starting-point,  till  they  came  near  to  the  place 
where  Tuscaloosa,  the  capital  of  the  State,,  now 
stands. 

This  region  was  then  almost  an  unbroken  wilder- 
ness. But  during  the  war  Crockett  had  frequently 
traversed  it,  and  was  familiar  with  its  general  char- 
acter. On  the  route  they  came  to  the  hut  of  a  man 
who  was  a  comrade  of  Crockett  in  the  Florida 
campaign.  They  spent  a  day  with  the  retired  sol- 
dier, and  all  went  out  in  the  woods  together  to  hunt. 
Frazier  unfortunately  stepped  upon  a  venomous 
snake,  partially  covered  with  leaves.  The  reptile 
struck  its  deadly  fangs  into  his  leg.  The  effect  was 
instantaneous  and  awful.  They  carried  the  wound- 
ed man,  with  his  bloated  and  throbbing  limb,  back 
to  the  hut.  Here  such  remedies  were  applied  as 
backwoods  medical  science  suggested ;  but  it  was 
evident  that  many  weeks  would  elapse  ere  the  man 
could  move,  even  should  he  eventually  recover. 
Sadly  they  were  constrained  to  leave  their  suffering 
companion  there.  What  became  of  him  is  not 
recorded. 

The  three  others,  Crockett,  Robinson,  and  Rich, 
continued   their  journey.     Their   route    led    them 


1/2  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

through  a  very  fertile  and  beautiful  region,  called 
Jones's  Valley.  Several  emigrants  had  penetrated 
and  reared  their  log  huts  upon  its  rich  and  bloom- 
ing meadows. 

When  they  reached  the  spot  where  the  capital 
of  the  State  now  stands,  with  its  spacious  streets, 
its  public  edifices,  its  halls  of  learning,  its  churches, 
and  its  refined  and  cultivated  society,  they  found 
only  the  silence,  solitude,  and  gloom  of  the  wilder- 
ness. With  their  hatchets  they  constructed  a  rude 
camp  to  shelter  them  from  the  night  air  and  the 
heavy  dew.  It  was  open  in  front.  Here  they  built 
their  camp-fire,  whose  cheerful  glow  illumined  the 
forest  far  and  wide,  and  which  converted  midnight 
glooms  into  almost  midday  radiance.  The  horses 
were  hobbled  and  turned  out  to  graze  on  a  luxu- 
riant meadow.  It  was  supposed  that  the  animals, 
weary  of  the  day's  journey,  and  finding  abundant 
pasturage,  would  not  stray  far.  The  travellers 
cooked  their  supper,  and  throwing  themselves  upon 
their  couch  of  leaves,  enjoyed  that  sound  sleep  which 
fatigue,  health,  and  comfort  give. 

When  they  awoke  in  the  morning  the  horses 
were  all  gone.  By  examining  the  trail  it  seemed 
that  they  had  taken  the  back-track  in  search  of 
their  homes.  Crockett,  who  was  the  most  vigorous 
and  athletic  of  the  three,  leaving  Robinson  and  Rich 


THE   CAMP  AND   THE   CABIN.  1/3 

in  the  camp,  set  out  in  pursuit  of  the  runaways.  It 
was  a  rough  and  dreary  path  he  had  to  tread. 
There  was  no  comfortable  road  to  traverse,  but  a 
mere  path  through  forest,  bog,  and  ravine,  which,  at 
times,  it  was  difficult  to  discern.  He  had  hills  to 
climb,  creeks  to  ford,  swamps  to  wade  through. 
Hour  after  hour  he  pressed  on,  but  the  horses  could 
walk  faster  than  he  could.  There  was  nothing  in 
their  foot-prints  which  indicated  that  he  was  ap- 
proaching any  nearer  to  them. 

At  last,  when  night  came,  and  Crockett  judged 
that  he  had  walked  fifty  miles,  he  gave  up  the 
chase  as  hopeless.  Fortunately  he  reached  the 
cabin  of  a  settler,  where  he  remained  until  morning. 
A  rapid  walk,  almost  a  run,  of  fifty  miles  in  one  day, 
is  a  very  severe  operation  even  for  the  most  hardy 
of  men.  When  Crockett  awoke,  after  his  night's 
sleep,  he  found  himself  so  lame  that  he  could 
scarcely  move.  He  was,  however,  anxious  to  get 
back  with  his  discouraging  report  to  his  compan- 
ions. He  therefore  set  out,  and  hobbled  slowly  and 
painfully  along,  hoping  that  exercise  would  gradu- 
ally loosen  his  stiffened  joints. 

But,  mile  after  mile,  he  grew  worse  rather  than 
better.  His  head  began  to  ache  very  severely.  A 
burning  fever  spread  through  his  veins.  He  tot- 
tered in  his  walk,  and  his  rifle  seemed  so  heavy  that 


1/4  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

he  could  scarcely  bear  its  weight.  He  was  toiling 
through  a  dark  and  gloomy  ravine,  damp  and  cold, 
and  thrown  into  shade  by  the  thick  foliage  of  the 
overhanging  trees.  So  far  as  he  knew,  no  human 
habitation  was  near.  Night  was  approaching.  He 
could  go  no  farther.  He  had  no  food  ;  but  he  did 
not  need  any,  for  a  deathly  nausea  oppressed  him. 
Utterly  exhausted,  he  threw  himself  down  upon  the 
grass  and  withered  leaves,  on  a  small  dry  mound 
formed  by  the  roots  of  a  large  tree. 

Crockett  had  no  wish  to  die.  He  clung  very 
tenaciously  to  life,  and  yet  he  was  very  apprehen- 
sive that  then  and  there  he  was  to  linger  through 
a  few  hours  of  pain,  and  then  die,  leaving  his 
unburied  body  to  be  devoured  by  wild  beasts,  and 
his  friends  probably  forever  ignorant  of  his  fate. 
Consumed  by  fever,  and  agitated  by  these  painful 
thoughts,  he  remained  for  an  hour  or  two,  when  he 
heard  the  sound  of  approaching  footsteps  and  of 
human  voices.  His  sensibilities  were  so  stupefied 
by  his  sickness  that  these  sounds  excited  but  little 
emotion. 

Soon  three  or  four  Indians  made  their  appearance 
walking  along  the  narrow  trail  in  single  file.  They 
saw  the  prostrate  form  of  the  poor,  sick  white  man, 
and  immediately  gathered  around  him.  The  rifle  of 
Crockett,  and  the  powder  and  bullets  which  he  had, 


THE  CAMP  AND   THE   CABIN.  175 

were,  to  these  Indians,  articles  of  almost  inestimable 
value.  One  blow  of  the  tomahawk  would  send  the 
helpless  man  to  realms  where  rifles  and  ammunition 
were  no  longer  needed,  and  his  priceless  treasures 
would  fall  into  their  hands.  Indeed,  it  was  not 
necessary  even  to  strike  that  blow.  They  had  but 
to  pick  up  the  rifle,  and  unbuckle  the  belt  which 
contained  the  powder-horn  and  bullet-pouch,  and 
leave  the  dying  man  to  his  fate. 

But  these  savages,  who  had  never  read  our 
Saviour's  beautiful  parable  of  the  good  Samaritan, 
acted  the  Samaritan's  part  to  the  white  man  whom 
they  found  in  utter  helplessness  and  destitution. 
They  kneeled  around  him,  trying  to  minister  to  his 
wants.  One  of  them  had  a  watermelon.  He  cut 
from  it  a  slice  of  the  rich  and  juicy  fruit,  and 
entreated  him  to  eat  it.  But  his  stomach  rejected 
even  that  delicate  food. 

They  then,  by  very  expressive  signs,  told  him 
that  if  he  did  not  take  some  nourishment  he  would 
die  and  be  buried  there — "  a  thing,"  Crockett  writes, 
"  I  was  confoundedly  afraid  of,  myself."  Crockett 
inquired  how  far  it  was  to  any  house.  They  sig- 
nified to  him,  by  signs,  that  there  was  a  white  man's 
cabin  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  where  they  then 
were,  and  urged  him  to  let  them  conduct  him  to 
that  house.  He  rose  to  make  the  attempt.  But 


1^6  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

he  was  so  weak  that  he  could  with  difficulty  stand, 
and  unsupported  could  not  walk  a  step. 

One  of  these  kind  Indians  offered  to  go  with  him  ; 
and  relieving  Crockett  of  the  burden  of  his  rifle,  and 
with  his  strong  arm  supporting  and'half  carrying  him, 
at  length  succeeded  in  getting  him  to  the  log  hut 
of  the  pioneer.  The  shades  of  night  were  falling. 
The  sick  man  was  so  far  gone  that  it  seemed  to 
him  that  he  could  scarcely  move  another  step.  A 
woman  came  to  the  door  of  the  lowly  hut  and 
received  them  with  a  woman's  sympathy.  There 
was  a  cheerful  fire  blazing  in  one  corner,  giving 
quite  a  pleasing  aspect  to  the  room.  In  another 
corner  there  was  a  rude  bed,  with  bed-clothing  of 
the  skins  of  animals.  Crockett's  benefactor  laid 
him  tenderly  upon  the  bed,  and  leaving  him  in  the 
charge  of  his  countrywoman,  bade  him  adieu,  and 
hastened  away  to  overtake  his  companions. 

"  What  a  different  world  would  this  be  from  what 
it  has  been,  did  the  spirit  of  kindness,  manifested 
by  this  poor  Indian,  universally  animate  human 
hearts ! 

"  O  brother  man  !  fold  to  thy  heart  thy  brother  : 
Where  pity  dwells  the  peace  of  God  is  there  ; 
To  worship  rightly  is  to  love  each  other, 

Each  smile  -a.  hymn,  each  kindly  word  a  prayer." 

The  woman's  husband  was,  at  the  time,  absent. 


THE   CAMP  AND   THE   CABIN.  1 77 

But  she  carefully  nursed  her  patient,  preparing  for 
him  some  soothing  herb-tea.  Delirium  came,  and 
for  several  hours,  Crockett,  in  a  state  of  unconscious- 
ness, dwelt  in  the  land  of  troubled  dreams.  The 
next  morning  he  was  a  little  more  comfortable,  but 
still  in  a  high  fever,  and  often  delirious. 

It  so  happened  that  two  white  men,  on  an  ex- 
ploring tour,  as  they  passed  along  the  trail,  met  the 
Indians,  who  informed  them  that  one  of  their  sick 
countrymen  was  at  a  settler's  cabin  at  but  a  few 
miles'  distance.  With  humanity  characteristic  of  a 
new  and  sparsely  settled  country  they  turned  aside 
to  visit  him.  They  proved  to  be  old  acquaintances 
of  Crockett.  He  was  so  very  anxious  to  get  back 
to  the  camp  where  he  had  left  his  companions,  and 
who,  knowing  nothing  of  his  fate,  must  think  it  very 
strange  that  he  had  thus  deserted  them,  that  they, 
very  reluctantly,  in  view  of  his  dangerous  condition, 
consented  to  help  him  on  his  way. 

They  made  as  comfortable  a  seat  as  they  could, 
of  blankets  and  skins,  which  they  buckled  on  the 
neck  of  one  of  the  horses  just  before  the  saddle. 
Upon  this  Crockett  was  seated.  One  of  the  men 
then  mounted  the  saddle  behind  him,  threw  both 
arms  around  the  patient,  and  thus  they  commenced 
their  journey.  The  sagacious  horse  was  left  to  pick 
out  his  own  way  along  the  narrow  trail  at  a  slow 
8* 


i;8  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

foot-pace.  As  the  horse  thus  bore  a  double  burden, 
after  journeying  an  hour  or  two,  Crockett's  seat  was 
changed  to  the  other  horse.  Thus  alternating,  the 
painful  journey  of  nearly  fifty  miles  was  accom- 
plished in  about  two  days. 

When  they  reached  the  camp,  Crockett,  as  was 
to  have  been  expected,  was  in  a  far  worse  condition 
than  when  they  commenced  the  journey.  It  was 
evident  that  he  was  to  pass  through  a  long  run 
of  fever,  and  that  his  recovery  was  very  doubtful. 
His  companions  could  not  thus  be  delayed.  They 
had  already  left  Frazier,  one  of  their  company,  per- 
haps to  die  of  the  bite  of  a  venomous  snake  ;  and 
now  they  were  constrained  to  leave  Crockett,  per- 
haps to  die  of  malarial  fever. 

They  ascertained  that,  at  the  distance  of  a  few 
miles  from  them,  there  was  another  log  cabin  in 
the  wilderness.  They  succeeded  in  purchasing  a 
couple  of  horses,  and  in  transporting  the  sick  man 
to  this  humble  house  of  refuge.  Here  Crockett  was 
left  to  await  the  result  of  his  sickness,  unaided  by 
any  medical  skill.  Fortunately  he  fell  into  the 
hands  of  a  family  who  treated  him  with  the  utmost 
kindness.  For  a  .fortnight  he  was  in  delirium,  and 
knew  nothing  of  what  was  transpiring  around  him. 

Crockett  was  a  very  amiable  man.  Even  the 
delirium  of  disease  developed  itself  in  kindly  words 


THE   CAMP  AND   THE   CABIN.  179 

and  grateful  feelings.  He  always  won  the  love  of 
those  around  him.  He  did  not  miss  delicacies  and 
luxuries  of  which  he  had  never  known  anything. 
Coarse  as  he  was  when  measured  by  the  standard 
of  a  higher  civilization,  he  was  not  coarse  at  all  in  the 
estimation  of  the  society  in  the  midst  of  which  he 
moved.  In  this  humble  cabin  of  Jesse  Jones,  with 
all  its  aspect  of  penury,  Crockett  was  nursed  with 
brotherly  and  sisterly  kindness,  and  had  every  alle- 
viation in  his  sickness  which  his  nature  craved. 

The  visitor  to  Versailles  is  shown  the  magnificent 
apartment,  and  the  regal  couch,  with  its  gorgeous 
hangings,  upon  which  Louis  XIV.,  the  proudest 
and  most  pampered  man  on  earth,  languished  and 
died.  Crockett,  on  his  pallet  in  the  log  cabin,  with 
unglazed  window  and  earthern  floor,  was  a  far  less 
unhappy  man,  than  the  dying  monarch  surrounded 
with  regal  splendors. 

At  the  end  of  a  fortnight  the  patient  began 
slowly  to  mend.  His  emaciation  was  extreme,  and 
his  recovery  very  gradual.  After  a  few  weeks  he 
was  able  to  travel.  He  was  then  on  a  route  where 
wagons  passed  over  a  rough  road,  teaming  the  arti- 
cles needed  in  a  new  country.  Crockett  hired  a  wag- 
oner to  give  him  a  seat  in  his  wagon  and  to  convey 
him  to  the  wagoner's  house,  which  was  about  twenty 
miles  distant.  Gaining  strength  by  the. way,  wher 


180  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

he  arrived  there  he  hired  a  horse  of  the  wagoner, 
and  set  out  for  home. 

Great  was  the  astonishment  of  his  family  upon 
his  arrival,  for  they  had  given  him  up  as  dead.  The 
.neighbors  who  set  out  on  this  journey  with  him 
had  returned  and  so  reported  ;  for  they  had  been 
misinformed.  They  told  Mrs.  Crockett  that  they 
had  seen  those  who  were  with  him  when  he  died, 
and  had  assisted  in  burying  him. 

Still  the  love  of  change  had  not  been  dispelled 
from  the  bosom  of  Crockett.  He  did  not  like 
the  place  where  he  resided.  After  spending  a  few 
months  at  home,  he  set  out,  in  the  autumn,  upon 
another  exploring  tour.  Our  National  Government 
had  recently  purchased,  of  the  Chickasaw  Indians,  a 
large  extent  of  territory  in  Southern  Tennessee. 
Crockett  thought  that  in  those  new  lands  he  would 
find  the  earthly  paradise  of  which  he  was  in  search. 
The  region  was  unsurveyed,  a  savage  wilderness,  and 
there  were  no  recognized  laws  and  no  organized 
government  there. 

Crockett  mounted  his  horse,  lashed  his  rifle  to 
his  back,  filled  his  powder-horn  and  bullet-pouch, 
and  journeying  westward  nearly  a  hundred  miles, 
through  pathless  wilds  whose  solitudes  had  a  pecu- 
liar charm  for  him,  came  to  a  romantic  spot,  called 
Shoal  Creek,  in  what  is  now  Giles  County,  in  the 


THE   CAMP  AND   THE   CABIN.  l8l 

extreme  southern  part  of  Tennessee.  He  found 
other  adventurers  pressing  into  the  new  country, 
where  land  was  abundant  and  fertile,  and  could  be 
had  almost  for  nothing. 

Log  cabins  were  rising  in  all  directions,  in  what 
they  deemed  quite  near  neighborhood,  for  they 
were  not  separated  more  than  a  mile  or  two  from 
each  other.  Crockett,  having  selected  his  location 
on  the  banks  of  a  crystal  stream,  summoned,  as  was 
the  custom,  some  neighbors  to  his  aid,  and  speedily 
constructed  the  cabin,  of  one  apartment,  to  shield 
his  family  from  the  wind  and  the  rain.  Moving 
with  such  a  family  is  not  a  very  arduous  undertaking. 
One  or  two  pack-horses  convey  all  the  household 
utensils.  There  are  no  mirrors,  bedsteads,  bureaus, 
or  chairs  to  be  transported.  With  an  auger  and  a 
hatchet,  these  articles  are  soon  constructed  in  their 
new  home.  The  wife,  with  the  youngest  child,  rides. 
The  husband,  with  his  rifle  upon  his  shoulder,  and 
followed  by  the  rest  of  the  children,  trudges  along 
on  foot. 

Should  night  or  storm  overtake  them,  an  hour's 
work  would  throw  up  a  camp,  with  a  cheerful  fire  in 
front,  affording  them  about  the  same  comforts  which 
they  enjoyed  in  the  home  they  had  left.  A  little 
meal,  baked  in  the  ashes,  supplied  them  with 
bread.  And  during  the  journey  of  the  day  thr 


1 82  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

rifle  of  the  father  would  be  pretty  sure  to  pick  up 
some  game  to  add  to  the  evening  repast. 

Crockett  and  his  family  reached  their  new  home 
in  'safety.  Here  quite  a  new  sphere  of  life  opened 
before  the  adventurer,  and  he  became  so  firmly  set- 
tled that  he  remained  in  that  location  for  three 
years.  In  the  mean  time,  pioneers  from  all  parts 
were  rapidly  rearing  their  cabins  upon  the  fertile 
territory,  which  was  then  called  The  New  Purchase. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
The  Justice  of  Peace  and  the  Legislator. 

Vagabondage. — Measures  of  Protection. — Measures  of  Government. — 
Crockett's  Confession. — A  Candidate  for  Military  Honors. — 
Curious  Display  of  Moral  Courage. — The  Squirrel  Hunt. — A 
Candidate  for  the  Legislature. — Characteristic  Electioneering. — 
Specimens  of  his  Eloquence. — Great  pecuniary  Calamity. — Expe- 
dition to  the  Far  West. — Wild  Adventures. — The  Midnight 
Carouse. — A  Cabin  Reared. 

THE  wealthy  and  the  prosperous  are  not  dis- 
posed to  leave  the  comforts  of  a  high  civilization  for 
the  hardships  of  the  wilderness.  Most  of  the  pio- 
neers who  crowded  to  the  New  Purchase  were  either 
energetic  young  men  who  had  their  fortunes  to  make, 
or  families  who  by  misfortune  had  encountered  im- 
poverishment. But  there  was  still  another  class. 
There  were  the  vile,  the  unprincipled,  the  despe- 
rate ;  vagabonds  seeking  whom  they  might  devour  ; 
criminals  escaping  the  penalty  of  the  laws  which 
they  had  violated. 

These  were  the  men  who  shot  down  an  Indian 
at  sight,  as  they  would  shoot  a  wolf,  merely  for  the 
fun  of  it ;  who  robbed  the  Indian  of  his  gun  and 
game,  burned  his  wigwam,  and  atrociously  insulted 


1 84  DAVID  CROCKETT. 

his  wife  and  daughters.  These  were  the  men  whom 
no  law  could  restrain  ;  who  brought  disgrace  upon 
the  name  of  a  white  man,  and  who  often  provoked 
the  ignorant  savage  to  the  most  dreadful  and  indis- 
criminate retaliation. 

So  many  of  these  infamous  men  flocked  to  this 
New  Purchase  that  life  there  became  quite  unde- 
sirable. There  were  no  legally  appointed  officers  of 
justice,  no  organized  laws.  Every  man  did  what 
was  pleasing  in  his  own  sight.  There  was  no  col- 
lecting of  debts,  no  redress  for  violence,  no  punish- 
ment for  cheating  or  theft. 

Under  these  circumstances,  there  was  a  general 
gathering  of  the  well-disposed  inhabitants  of  the 
cabins  scattered  around,  to  adopt  some  measures 
for  their  mutual  protection.  Several  men  were  ap- 
pointed justices  of  peace,  with  a  set  of  resolute 
young  men,  as  constables,  to  execute  their  commis- 
sions. These  justices  were  invested  with  almost 
dictatorial  power.  They  did  not  pretend  to  know 
anything  about  written  law  or  common  law.  They 
were  merely  men  of  good  sound  sense,  who  could 
judge  as  to  what  was  right  in  all  ordinary  inter- 
course between  man  and  man. 

A  complaint  would  be  entered  to  Crockett  that 
one  man  owed  another  money  and  refused  to  pay 
him.  Crockett  would  send  his  constables  to  arrest 


THE   JUSTICE   OF   PEACE.  185 

the  man,  and  bring  him  to  his  cabin.  Aftei  hearing 
both  parties,  if  Crockett  judged  the  debt  to  be  justly 
due,  and  that  it  could  be  paid,  he  would  order  the 
man's  horse,  cow,  rifle,  or  any  other  property  he 
owned,  to  be  seized  and  sold,  and  the  debt  to  be 
paid.  If  the  man  made  any  resistance  he  would  be 
very  sure  to  have  his  cabin  burned  down  over  his 
head ;  and  he  would  be  very  lucky  if  he  escaped  a 
bullet  through  his  own  body. 

One  of  the  most  common  and  annoying  crimes 
committed  by  these  desperadoes  was  shooting  an 
emigrant's  swine.  These  animals,  regarded  as  so 
invaluable  in  a  new  country,  each  had  its  owner's 
mark,  and  ranged  the  woods,  fattening  upon  acorns 
and  other  nuts.  Nothing  was  easier  than  for  a  lazy 
man  to  wander  into  the  woods,  shoot  one  of  these 
animals,  take  it  to  his  cabin,  devour  it  there,  and  ob- 
literate all  possible  traces  of  the  deed.  Thus  a  large 
and  valuable  herd  would  gradually  disappear.  This 
crime  was  consequently  deemed  to  merit  the  most 
severe  punishment.  It  was  regarded  as  so  disgrace- 
ful that  no  respectable  man  was  liable  to  suspicion. 

The  punishment  for  the  crime  was  very  severe, 
and  very  summary.  If  one  of  these  swine-thieves 
was  brought  before  Justice  Crockett,  and  in  his 
judgment  the. charge  was  proved  against  him,  th<" 
sentence  was — 


1 86  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

"Take  the  thief,  strip  off  his  shirt,  tie  him  to  a 
tree,  and  give  him  a  severe  flogging.  Then  burn 
down  his  cabin,  and  drive  him  out  of  the  country/' 

There  was  no  appeal  from  this  verdict,  and  no 
evading  its  execution.  Such  was  the  justice  which 
prevailed,  in  this  remote  region,  until  the  Legisla- 
ture of  Alabama  annexed  the  territory  to  Giles 
County,  and  brought  the  region  under  the  dominion 
of  organized  law.  Crockett,  who  had  performed  his 
functions  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  community, 
then  was  legally  appointed  a  justice  of  peace,  and 
became  fully  entitled  to  the  appellation  of  esquire. 
He  certainly  could  not  then  pretend  to  any  pro- 
found legal  erudition,  for  at  this  time  he  could 
neither  read  nor  write. 

Esquire  Crockett,  commenting  upon  this  trans- 
action, says,  "  I  was  made  a  Squire,  according  to 
law ;  though  now  the  honor  rested  more  heavily 
upon  me  than  before.  For,  at  first,  whenever  I 
told  my  constable,  says  I,  '  Catch  that  fellow,  and 
bring  him  up  for  trial,'  away  he  went,  and  the  fellow 
must  come,  dead  or  alive.  For  we  considered  this 
a  good  warrant,  though  it  was  only  in  verbal  writing. 

"  But  a  ter  I  was  appointed  by  the  Assembly, 
they  told  me  that  my  warrants  must  be  in  real 
writing  and  signed ;  and  that  I  must  keep  a  book 
and  write  my  proceedings  in  it.  This  was  a  hard 


THE  JUSTICE  OF  PEACE.          l8/ 

business  on  me,  for  I  could  just  barely  write  my 
own  name.  But  to  do  this,  and  write  the  warrants 
too,  was  at  least  a  huckleberry  over  my  persimmon. 
I  had  a  pretty  well  informed  constable,  however, 
and  he  aided  me  very  much  in  this  business.  In- 
deed, I  told  him,  when  he  should  happen  to  be  out 
anywhere,  and  see  that  a  warrant  was  necessary, 
and  would  have  a  good  effect,  he  needn't  take  the 
trouble  to  come  all  the  way  to  me  to  get  one,  but 
he  could  just  fill  out  one ;  and  then,  on  the  trial,  I 
could  correct  the  whole  business  if  he  had  commit- 
ted any  error. 

"  In  this  way  I  got  on  pretty  well,  till,  by  care 
and  attention,  I  improved  my  handwriting  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  be  able  to  prepare  my  warrants  and 
keep  my  record-books  without  much  difficulty.  My 
judgments  were  never  appealed  from  ;  and  if  they 
had  been,  they  would  have  stuck  like  wax,  as  I  gave 
my  decisions  on  the  principles  of  common  justice 
and  honesty  between  man  and  man,  and  relied  on 
natural-born  sense,  and  not  on  law-learning,  to  guide 
me ;  for  I  had  never  read  a  page  in  a  law-book  in  all 
my  life." 

Esquire  Crockett  was  now  a  rising  man.  He 
was  by  no  means  diffident.  With  strong  native 
sense,  imperturbable  self-confidence,  a  memory 
almost  miraculously  stored  with  rude  anecdotes,  and 


I 88  DAVID  CROCKETT. 

an  astonishing  command  of  colloquial  and  slang  lan- 
guage, he  was  never  embarrassed,  and  never  at  a 
loss  as  to  what  to  say  or  to  do. 

They  were  about  getting  up  a  new  regiment  of 
militia  there,  and  a  Captain  Mathews,  an  ambitious, 
well-to-do  settler,  with  cribs  full  of  corn,  was  a  can- 
didate for  the  colonelship.  He  came  to  Crockett  to 
insure -his  support,  and  endeavored  to  animate  him 
to  more  cordial  cooperation  by  promising  to  do 
what  he  could  to  have  him  elected  major  of  the  regi- 
ment. Esquire  Crockett  at  first  declined,  saying 
that  he  was  thoroughly  disgusted  with  all  military 
operations,  and  that  he  had  no  desire  for  any  such 
honors.  But  as  Captain  Mathews  urged  the  ques- 
tion, and  Crockett  reflected  that  the  office  would 
give  him  some  additional  respect  and  influence  with 
his  neighbors,  and  that  Major  Crockett  was  a  very 
pleasantly  sounding  title,  he  finally  consented,  and, 
of  course,  very  soon  became  deeply  interested  in  the 
enterprise. 

Captain  Mathews,  as  an  electioneering  measure, 
invited  all  his  neighbors,  far  and  near,  to  a  very 
magnificent  corn-husking  frolic.  There  was  to  be  a 
great  treat  on  the  occasion,  and  "  all  the  world,"  as 
the  French  say,  were  eager  to  be  there.  Crockett 
and  his  family  were  of  course  among  the  invited 
guests.  When  Crockett  got  there  he  found  an  im- 


THE  JUSTICE  OF  PEACE.          189 

mense  gathering,  all  in  high  glee,  and  was  informed, 
much  to  his  surprise  and  chagrin,  that  Captain 
Mathews's  son  had  offered  himself  for  the  office  of 
major,  in  opposition  to  Crockett. 

The  office  had,  in  reality,  but  few  charms  for 
Crockett,  and  he  did  not  care  much  for  it.  But  this 
unworthy  treatment  roused '  his  indignation.  He 
was  by  nature  one  of  the  most  frank  and  open- 
hearted  of  men,  and  never  attempted  to  do  anything 
by  guile.  Immediately  he  called  Captain  Mathews 
aside,  and  inquired  what  this  all  meant.  The  Cap- 
tain was  much  embarrassed,  and  made  many  lame 
excuses,  saying  that  he  would  rather  his  son  would 
run  against  any  man  in  the  county  than  against 
Squire  Crockett. 

"You  need  give  yourself  no  uneasiness  about 
that,"  Crockett  replied.  "  I  care  nothing  for  the 
office  of  major ;  I  shall  not  allow  my  name  to  be 
used  against  your  son  for  that  office.  But  I  shall 
do  everything  in  my  power  to  prevent  his  father 
from  being  colonel." 

In  accordance  with  the  custom  of  the  region  and 
the  times,  after  the  feasting  and  the  frolicking,  Cap- 
tain Mathews  mounted  a  stump,  and  addressed  the 
assembly  in  what  was  appropriately  called  a  stump 
speech,  advocating  his  election. 

The  moment  he  closed,  Squire  Crockett  mounted 


igO  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

the  stump,  and  on  the  Captain's  own  grounds,  ad- 
dressing the  Captain's  guests,  and  himself  one  of 
those  guests,  totally  unabashed,  made  his  first  stump 
speech.  He  was  at  no  loss  for  words  or  ideas.  He 
was  full  to  the  brim  of  fun.  He  could,  without  any 
effort,  keep  the  whole  assembly  in  roars  of  laughter. 
And  there,  in  the  presence  of  Captain  Mathews  and 
his  family,  he  argued  his  total  unfitness  to  be  the 
commander  of  a  regiment. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  there  was  no  reporter 
present  to  transmit  to  us  that  speech.  It  must  have 
been  a  peculiar  performance.  It  certainly  added 
much  to  Crockett's  reputation  as  an  able  man  and 
an  orator.  When  the  election  came,  both  father 
and  son  were  badly  beaten.  Soon  after,  a  commit- 
tee waited  upon  Crockett,  soliciting  him  to  stand  as 
candidate  for  the  State  Legislature,  to  represent  the 
two  "counties  of  Lawrence  and  Hickman. 

Crockett  was  beginning  to  be  ambitious.  He 
consented.  But  he  had  already  engaged  to  take  a 
drove  of  horses  from  Central  Tennessee  to  the  lower 
part  of  North  Carolina.  This  was  a  long  journey, 
and  going  and  coming  would  take  three  months. 
He  set  out  early  in  March,  1821.  Upon  his  return 
in  June,  he  commenced  with  all  zeal  his  electioneer- 
ing campaign.  Characteristically  he  says: 

"  It  was  a  bran-fire  new  business  to  me.     It  now 


THE   LEGISLATOR.  IQl 

became  necessary  that  I  should  tell  the  people 
something  about  the  Government,  and  an  eternal 
sight  of  other  things  that  I  know'd  nothing  more 
about  than  I  did  about  Latin,  and  law,  and  such 
things  as  that.  I  have  said  before,  that  in  those 
days  none  of  us  called  General  Jackson  the  Govern- 
ment. But  I  know'd  so  little  about  it  that  if  any 
one  had  told  me  that  he  was  the  Government,  I 
should  have  believed  it ;  for  I  had  never  read  even  a 
newspaper  in  my  life,  or  anything  else  on  the  subject." 

Lawrence  County  bounded  Giles  County  on 
the  west.  Just  north  of  Lawrence  came  Hickman 
County.  Crockett  first  directed  his  steps  to  Hick- 
man County,  to  engage  in  his  "  bran-fire  "  new  work 
of  electioneering  for  himself  as  a  candidate  for  the 
Legislature.  What  ensued  cannot  be  more  graph- 
ically told  than  in  Crockett's  own  language  : 

"  Here  they  told  me  that  they  wanted  to  move 
their  town  nearer  to  the  centre  of  the  county,  and  I 
must  come  out  in  favor  of  it.  There's  no  devil  if  I 
know'd  what  this  meant,  or  how  the  town  was  to  be 
moved.  And  so  I  kept  dark,  going  on  the  identical 
same  plan  that  I  now  find  is  called  non-committal. 

"  About  this  time  there  was  a  great  squirrel- 
hunt,  on  Duck  River,  which  was  among  my  people. 
They  were  to  hunt  two  days ;  then  to  meet  and 
count  the  scalps,  and  have  a  big  barbecue,  and  what 


IQ2  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

might  be  called  a  tip-top  country  frolic.  The  dinner 
and  a  general  treat  was  all  to  be  paid  for  by  the 
party  having  taken  the  fewest  scalps.  I  joined  one 
side,  and  got  a  gun  ready  for  the  hunt.  I  killed  a 
great  many  squirrels,  and  when  we  counted  scalps 
my  party  was  victorious. 

"The  company  had  everything  to  eat  and  drink 
that  could  be  furnished  in  a  new  country ;  and 
much  fun  and  good  humor  prevailed.  But  before 
the  regular  frolic  commenced,  I  was  called  on  to 
make  a  speech  as  a  candidate,  which  was  a  business 
I  was  as  ignorant  of  as  an  outlandish  negro. 

"A  public  document  I  had  never  seen.  How 
to  begin  I  couldn't  tell.  I  made  many  apologies, 
and  tried  to  get  off,  for  I  know'd  I  had  a  man  to  run 
against  who  could  speak  prime.  And  I  know'd,  too, 
that  I  wasn't  able  to  cut  and  thrust  with  him.  He 
was  there,  and  knowing  my  ignorance  as  well  as  I 
did  myself,  he  urged  me  to  make  a  speech.  The 
truth  is,  he  thought  my  being  a  candidate  was  a 
mere  matter  of  sport,  and  didn't  think  fora  moment 
that  he  was  in  any  danger  from  an  ignorant  back- 
woods bear-hunter. 

"  But  I  found  I  couldn't  get  off.  So  I  deter- 
mined to  go  ahead,  and  leave  it  to  chance  what  I 
should  say.  I  got  up  and  told  the  people  I  reckon'd 
"they  know'd  what  I  had  come  for  ;  but  if  not,  I  could 


THE   LEGISLATOR.  193 

tell  them.  I  had  come  for  their  votes,  and  if  they 
didn't  watch  mighty  close  I'd  get  them  too.  But 
the  worst  of  all  was,  that  I  could  not  tell  them  any- 
thing about  Government.  I  tried  to  speak  about 
something,  and  I  cared  very  little  what,  until  I 
choked  up  as  bad  as  if  my  mouth  had  been 
jamm'd  and  cramm'd  chock  -  full  of  dry  mush. 
There  the  people  stood,  listening  all  the  while,  with 
their  eyes,  mouths,  and  ears  all  open  to  catch  every 
word  I  could  speak. 

"  At  last  I  told  them  I  was  like  a  fellow  I  had 
heard  of  not  long  before.  He  was  beating  on  the 
head  of  an  empty  barrel  on  the  roadside,  when  a 
traveller,  who  was  passing  along,  asked  him  what  he 
was  doing  that  for  ?  The  fellow  replied  that  there 
was  some  cider  in  that  barrel  a  few  days  before,  and 
he  was  trying  to  see  if  there  was  any  then  ;  but  if 
there  was,  he  couldn't  get  at  it.  I  told  them  that 
there  had  been  a  little  bit  of  a  speech  in  me  a  while 
ago,  but  I  believed  I  couldn't  get  it  out. 

"  They  all  roared  out  in  a  mighty  laugh,  and  I 
told  some  other  anecdotes,  equally  amusing  to  them, 
and  believing  I  had  them  in  a  first-rate  way,  I 
quit  and  got  down,  thanking  the  people  for  their 
attention.  But  I  took  care  to  remark  that  I  was  as 
dry  as  a  powder-horn,  and  that  I  thought  that  it 
was  time  for  us  all  to  wet  our  whistles  a  little.  And 
9 


194  DAVID  CROCKETT. 

so  I  put  off  to  a  liquor-stand,  and  was  followed  by 
the  greater  part  of  the  crowd. 

"  I  felt  certain  this  was  necessary,  for  I  know'd 
my  competitor  could  talk  Government  matters  to 
them  as  easy  as  he  *  pleased.  He  had,  however, 
mighty  few  left  to  hear  him,  as  I  continued  with 
the  crowd,  now  and  then  taking  a  horn,  and  telling 
good-humored  stories  till  he  was  done  speaking.  I 
found  I  was  good  for  the  votes  at  the  hunt ;  and 
when  we  broke  up  I  went  on  to  the  town  of  Vernon, 
which  was  the  same  they  wanted  me  to  move. 
Here  they  pressed  me  again  on  the  subject.  I 
found  I  could  get  either  party  by  agreeing  with 
them.  But  I  told  them  I  didn't  know  whether  it 
would  be  right  or  not,  and  so  couldn't  promise  either 
way." 

This  famous  barbecue  was  on  Saturday.  The 
next  Monday  the  county  court  held  its  session  at 
Vernon.  There  was  a  great  gathering  of  the  pio- 
neers from  all  parts  of  the  county.  The  candidates 
for  the  Governor  of  the  State,  for  a  representa- 
tive in  Congress,  and  for  the  State  Legislature,  were 
all  present.  Some  of  these  men  were  of  considera- 
ble ability,  and  certainly  of  very  fluent  speech.  The 
backwoodsmen,  from  their  huts,  where  there  were 
no  books,  no  newspapers,  no  intelligent  companion- 
ship, found  this  a  rich  intellectual  treat.  Their 


THE   LEGISLATOR.  19$ 

minds  were  greatly  excited  as  they  listened  to  the 
impassioned  and  glowing  utterances  of  speaker  after 
speaker ;  for  many  of  these  stump  orators  had 
command  of  a  rude  but  very  effective  eloquence. 

Crockett  listened  also,  with  increasing  anxiety. 
He  knew  that  his  turn  was  to  come  ;  that. he  must 
mount  the  stump  and  address  the  listening  throng. 
He  perceived  that  he  could  not  speak  as  these  men 
were  speaking  ;  and  perhaps  for  the  first  time  in  his 
life  began  to  experience  some  sense  of  inferiority. 
He  writes : 

"  The  thought  of  having  to  make  a  speech  made 
my  knees  feel  mighty  weak,  and  set  my  heart  to 
fluttering  almost  as  bad  as  my  first  love-scrape  with 
the  Quaker's  niece.  But  as  good  luck  would  have 
it,  these  big  candidates  spoke  nearly  all  day,  and 
when  they  quit  the  people  were  worn  out  with 
fatigue,  which  afforded  me  a  good  apology  /or 
not  discussing  the  Government.  But  I  listened 
mighty  close  to  them,  and  was  learning  pretty  fast 
about  political  matters.  When  they  were  all  done, 
I  got  up  and  told  some  laughable  story,  and  quit. 
I  found  I  was  safe  in  those  parts  ;  and  so  I  went 
home,  and  did  not  go  back  again  till  after  the  elec- 
tion was  over.  But  to  cut  this  matter  short,  I  was 
elected,  doubling  my  competitor,  and  nine  votes 
over. 


196  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

"  A  short  time  after  this,  I  was  at  Pulaski,  where 
I  met  with  Colonel  Polk,  now  a  member  of  Congress 
from  Tennessee.*  He  was  at  that  time  a  member 
elected  to  the  Legislature,  as  well  as  myself.  In  a 
large  company  he  said  to  me,  '  Well,  Colonel,  I  sup- 
pose we  shall  have  a  radical  change  of  the  judiciary 
at  the  next  session  of  the  Legislature.'  '  Very 
likely,  sir,'  says  I.  And  I  put  out  quicker,  for  I  was 
afraid  some  one  would  ask  me  what  the  judiciary 
was;  and  if  I  know'd  I  wish  I  may  be  shot.  I  don't 
indeed  believe  I  had  ever  before  heard  that  there 
was  any  such  thing  in  all  nature.  But  still  I  was 
not  willing  that  the  people  there  should  know  how 
ignorant  I  was  about  it." 

At  length  the  day  arrived  for  the  meeting  of 
the  Legislature.  Crockett  repaired  to  the  seat  of 
government.  With  all  his  self-complacency  he 
began  to  appreciate  that  he  had  much  to  learn. 
The  two  first  items  of  intelligence  which  he  deemed 
it  important  that  he,  as  a  member  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, should  acquire,  were  the  meaning  of  the  words 
government  and  judiciary.  By  adroit  questioning 
and  fixed  thought,  he  ere  long  stored  up  those  in- 
tellectual treasures.  Though  with  but  little  capa- 
city to  obtain  knowledge  from  books,  he  became  an 

*  Subsequently  President  of  the  United  States. 


THE  LEGISLATOR.  1 97 

earnest  student  of  the  ideas  of  his  fellow-legislators 
as  elicited  in  conversation  or  debate.  Quite  a  heavy 
disaster,  just  at  this  time,  came  upon  Crockett.  We 
must  again  quote  his  own  words,  for  it  is  our  wish, 
in  this  volume,  to  give  the  reader  a  correct  idea  of 
the  man.  Whatever  Crockett  says,  ever  comes  fresh 
from  his  heart.  He  writes  : 

"  About  this  time  I  met  with  a  very  severe  mis- 
fortune, which  I  may  be  pardoned  for  naming,  as  it 
made  a  great  change  in  my  circumstances,  and  kept 
me  back  very  much  in  the  world.  I  had  built  an  ex- 
tensive grist-mill  and  powder-mill,  all  connected 
together,  and  also  a  large  distillery.  They  had  cost 
me  upward  of  three  thousand  dollars  ;  more  than  I 
was  worth  in  the  world.  The  first  news  that  I 
heard,  after  I  got  to  the  Legislature,  was  that  my 
mills  were  all  swept  to  smash  by  a  large  freshet  that 
came  soon  after  I  left  home. 

"  I  had,  of  course,  to  stop  my  distillery,  as  my 
grinding  was  broken  up.  And  indeed  I  may  say 
that  the  misfortune  just  made  a  complete  mash  of 
me.  I  had  some  likely  negroes,  and  a  good  stock  of 
almost  everything  about  me,  and,  best  of  all,  I  had 
an  honest  wife.  She  didn't  advise  me,  as  is  too 
fashionable,  to  smuggle  up  this,  and  that,  and 
t'other,  to  go  on  at  home.  But  she  told  me,  says 
she,  '  Just  pay  up  as  long  as  you  have  a  bit's  worth 


198  DAVID  CROCKETT. 

in  the  world  ;  and  then  everybody  will  be  satisfied, 
and  we  will  scuffle  for  more.' 

"  This  was  just  such  talk  as  I  wanted  to  hear,  for 
a  man's  wife  can  hold  him  devilish  uneasy  if  she 
begins  to  scold  and  fret,  and  perplex  him,  at  a  time 
when  he  has  a  full  load  for  a  railroad  car  on  his 
mind  already.  And  so,  you  see,  I  determined  not 
to  break  full-handed,  but  thought  it  better  to  keep 
a  good  conscience  with  an  empty  purse,  than  to  get 
a  bad  opinion  of  myself  with  a  full  one.  I  therefore 
gave  up  all  I  had,  and  took  a  bran-fire  new  start." 

Crockett's  legislative  career  was  by  no  means 
brilliant,  but  characteristic.  He  was  the  fun-maker 
of  the  house,  and,  like  Falstaff,  could  boast  that  he 
was  not  only  witty  himself,  but  the  cause  of  wit  in 
others.  His  stories  were  irresistibly  comic ;  but 
they  almost  always  contained  expressions  of  profan- 
ity or  coarseness  which  renders  it  impossible  for  us 
to  transmit  them  to  these  pages.  He  was  an  inimi- 
table mimic,  and  had  perfect  command  of  a  Dutch- 
man's brogue.  One  of  the  least  objectionable  of  his 
humorous  stories  we  will  venture  to  record. 

There  were,  he  said,  in  Virginia,  two  Dutchmen, 
brothers,  George  and  Jake  Fulwiler.  They  were 
both  well  to  do  in  the  world,  and  each  owned  a 
grist-mill.  There  was  another  Dutchman  near  by, 
by  the  name  of  Henry  Snyder.  He  was  a  mono- 


THE   LEGISLATOR.  199 

maniac,  but  a  harmless  man,  occasionally  thinking 
himself  to  be  God.  He  built  a  throne,  and  would 
often  sit  upon  it,  pronouncing  judgment  upon 
others,  and  also  upon  himself.  He  would  send 
the  culprits  to  heaven  or  to  hell,  as  his  humor 
prompted. 

One  day  he  had  a  little  difficulty  with  the  two 
Fialvvilers.  He  took  his  seat  upon  his  throne,  and 
in  imagination  summoning  the  culprits  before  him, 
thus  addressed  them : 

"  Shorge  Fulwiler,  stand  up.  What  hash  you 
been  doin  in  dis  lower  world  ?  " 

"  Ah!  Lort,  ich  does  not  know." 

"  Well,  Shorge  Fulwiler,  hasn't  you  got  a  mill  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Lort,  ich  hash." 

"  Well,  Shorge  Fulwiler,  didn't  you  never  take 
too  much  toll?" 

"Yes,  Lort,  ich  hash  ;  when  der  water  wash  low, 
and  mein  stones  wash  dull,  ich  take  leetle  too  much 
toll." 

"  Well,  den,  Shorge  Fulwiler,  you  must  go  to  der 
left  mid  der  goats." 

"  Well,  Shake  Fulwiler,  now  you  stand  up.  What 
hash  you  been  doin  in  dis  lower  world  ?  " 

"  Ah  !  Lort,  ich  does  not  know." 

"  Well,  Shake  Fulwiler,  hasn't  you  got  a  mill?" 

"  Yes,  Lort,  ich  hash." 


200  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

"  Well,  Shake  Fulwiler,  hasn't  you  never  taken 
too  much  toll?" 

"  Yes,  Lort,  ich  hash  ;  when  der  water  wash  low, 
and  mein  stones  wash  dull,  ich  take  leetle  too  much 
toll." 

"  Well,  den,  Shake  Fulwiler,  you  must  go  to  der 
left  mid  der  goats." 

"  Now  ich  try  meinself.  Henry  Snyder,  Henry 
Snyder,  stand  up.  What  hash  you  bin  doin  in  dis 
lower  world  ?  " 

"  Ah,  Lort,  ich  does  not  know." 

"  Well,  Henry  Snyder,  hasn't  you  got  a  mill?" 

"  Yes,  Lort,  ich  hash." 

"  Well,  Henry  Snyder,  didn't  you  never  take  too 
much  toll?  " 

"  Yes,  Lort,  ich  hash  ;  when  der  water  wash  low, 
and  mein  stones  wash  dull,  ich  hash  taken  leetle  too 
much  toll." 

"  But,  Henry  Snyder,  vat  did  you  do  mid  der 
toll  ?  " 

"  Ah,  Lort,  ich  gives  it  to  der  poor." 

The  judge  paused  for  a  moment,  and  then  said, 
"  Well,  Henry  Snyder,  you  must  go  to  der  right 
mid  der  sheep.  But  it  is  a  tight  squeeze." 

Another  specimen  of  his  more  sober  forensic  elo- 
quence is  to  be  found  in  the  following  speech. 
There  was  a  bill  before  the  house  for  the  creation 


THE   LEGISLATOR.  2OI 

of  a  new  county,  and  there  was  a  dispute  about  the 
boundary-line.  The  author  of  the  bill  wished  to 
run  the  line  in  a  direction  which  would  manifestly 
promote  his  own  interest.  Crockett  arose  and  said  : 

"  Mr.  Speaker :  Do  you  know  what  that  man's 
bill  reminds  me  of?  Well,  I  s'pose  you  don't,  so  I'll 
tell  you.  Well,  Mr.  Speaker,  when  I  first  came  to 
this  country  a  blacksmith  was  a  rare  thing.  But 
there  happened  to  be  one  in  my  neighborhood.  He 
had  no  striker  ;  and  whenever  one  of  the  neighbors 
wanted  any  work  done,  he  had  to  go  over  and  strike 
until  his  work  was  finished.  These  were  hard  times, 
Mr.  Speaker,  but  we  had  to  do  the  best  we  could. 

"  It  happened  that  one  of  my  neighbors  wanted 
an  axe.  So  he  took  along  with  him  a  piece  of  iron, 
and  went  over  to  the  blacksmith's  to  strike  till  his 
axe  was  done.  The  iron  was  heated,  and  my  neigh- 
bor fell  to  work,  and  was  striking  there  nearly  all 
day  ;  when  the  blacksmith  concluded  that  the  iron 
wouldn't  make  an  axe,  but  'twould  make  a  fine 
mattock. 

"  So  my  neighbor,  wanting  a  mattock,  concluded 
that  he  would  go  over  and  strike  till  the  mattock 
was  done.  Accordingly  he  went  over  the  next  day, 
and  worked  faithfully.  But  toward  night  the  black- 
smith concluded  his  iron  wouldn't  make  a  mattock, 
but  'twould  make  a  fine  ploughshare. 


2O2  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

"  So  my  neighbor,  wanting  a  ploughshare,  agreed 
that  he  would  go  over  the  next  day  and  strike  till 
that  was  done.  Accordingly  he  went  over,  and  fell 
hard  at  work.  But  toward  night  the  blacksmith 
concluded  his  iron  wouldn't  make  a  ploughshare, 
but  'twould  make  a  fine  skow.  So  my  neighbor, 
tired  of  working,  cried,  '  A  skow  let  it  be ; '  and 
the  blacksmith,  taking  up  the  red-hot  iron,  threw  it 
into  a  trough  of  hot  water  near  him,  and  as  it  fell 
in,  it  sung  out  skow.  And  this,  Mr.  Speaker,  will  be 
the  way  of  that  man's  bill /or  a  county.  He'll  keep 
you  all  here,  doing  nothing,  and  finally  his  bill  will 
turn  up  a  skow ;  now  mind  if  it  don't." 

At  this  time,  Crockett,  by  way  of  courtesy,  was 
usually  called  colonel,  as  with  us  almost  every 
respectable  man  takes  the  title  of  esquire.  One 
of  the  members  offended  Colonel  Crockett  by  speak- 
ing disrespectfully  of  him  as  from  the  back  woods, 
or,  as  he  expressed  it,  the  gentleman  from  the  cane. 
Crockett  made  a  very  bungling  answer,  which  did 
not  satisfy  himself.  After  the  house  adjourned,  he 
very  pleasantly  invited  the  gentleman  to  take  a 
walk  with  him.  They  chatted  very  sociably  by  the 
way,  till,  at  the  distance  of  about  a  mile,  they  reached 
a  very  secluded  spot,  when  the  Colonel,  turning  to 
"his  opponent,  said  : 

"  Do  you  know  what  I  brought  you  here  for  ?" 


THE   LEGISLATOR.  2O3 

"  No,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Well,"  added  the  Colonel,  "  I  brought  you 
here  for  the  express  purpose  of  whipping  you  ;  and 
now  I  mean  to  do  it." 

"  But,"  says  the  Colonel,  in  recording  the  event, 
"  the  fellow  said  he  didn't  mean  anything,  and  kept 
'pologizing  till  I  got  into  good  humor." 

They  walked  back  as  good  friends  as  ever,  and 
no  one  but  themselves  knew  of  the  affair. 

After  the  adjournment  of  the  Legislature, 
Crockett  returned  to  his  impoverished  home.  The 
pecuniary  losses  he  had  encountered,  induced  him  to 
make  another  move,  and  one  for  which  it  is  difficult 
to  conceive  of  any  adequate  motive.  He  took  his 
eldest  son,  a  boy  about  eight  years  of  age,  and  a 
young  man  by  the  name  of  Abram  Henry,  and 
with  one  pack-horse  to  carry  their  blankets  and 
provisions,  plunged  into  the  vast  wilderness  west 
of  them,  on  an  exploring  tour,  in  search  of  a  new 
home. 

Crockett  and  the  young  man  shouldered  their 
rifles.  Day  after  day  the  three  trudged  along,  ford- 
ing streams,  clambering  hills,  wading  morasses,  and 
threading  ravines,  each  night  constructing  a  frail 
shelter,  and  cooking  by  their  camp-fire  such  game 
as  they  had  taken  by  .the  way. 

After  traversing  these  almost  pathless  wilds  a 


2O4  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

hundred  and  fifty  miles,  and  having  advanced 
nearly  fifty  miles  beyond  any  white  settlement,  they 
reached  the  banks  of  a  lonely  stream,  called  Obion 
River,  on  the  extreme  western  frontier  of  Tennessee. 
This  river  emptied  into  the  Mississippi  but  a  few 
miles  from  the  spot  where  Crockett  decided  to  rear 
his  cabin.  His  nearest  neighbor  was  seven  miles 
distant,  his  next  fifteen,  his  next  twenty. 

About  ten  years  before,  that  whole  region  had 
been  convulsed  by  one  of  the  most  terrible  earth- 
quakes recorded  in  history.  One  or  two  awful 
hurricanes  had  followed  the  earthquake,  prostrating 
the  gigantic  forest,  and  scattering  the  trees  in  all 
directions.  Appalling  indications  remained  of  the 
power  expended  by  these  tremendous  forces  of 
nature.  The  largest  forest-trees  were  found  split 
from  their  roots  to  their  tops,  and  lying  half  on 
each  side  of  a  deep  fissure.  The  opening  abysses, 
the  entanglement  of  the  prostrate  forest,  and  the 
dense  underbrush  which  had  sprung  up,  rendered 
the  whole  region  almost  impenetrable.  The  country 
was  almost  entirely  uninhabited.  It  had,  however, 
become  quite  celebrated  as  being  the  best  hunting- 
ground  in  the  West.  The  fear  of  earthquakes  and  the 
general  desolation  had  prevented  even  the  Indians 
from  rearing  their  wigwams  there.  Consequently 
wild  animals  had  greatly  increased.  The  country 


THE   LEGISLATOR.  20$ 

was  filled  with  bears,  wolves,  panthers,  deer,  elks, 
and  other  smaller  game. 

The  Indians  had  recently  made  this  discovery, 
and  were,  in  ever-increasing  numbers,  exploring  the 
regions  in  hunting-bands.  Crockett  does  not  seem 
to  have  had  much  appreciation  of. the  beautiful. 
In  selecting  a  spot  for  his  hut,  he  wished  to  be  near 
some  crystal  stream  where  he  could  get  water,  and 
to  build  his  hut  upon  land  sufficiently  high  to  be 
above  the  reach  of  freshets.  It  was  also  desirable 
to  find  a  small  plain  or  meadow  free  from  trees, 
where  he  could  plant  his  corn  ;  and  to  be  in  the 
edge  of  the  forest,  which  would  supply  him  with 
abundance  of  fuel.  Crockett  found  such  a  place, 
exactly  to  his  mind.  Being  very  fond  of  hunting, 
he  was  the  happiest  of  men.  A  lew  hours'  labor 
threw  up  a  rude  hut  which  was  all  the  home  he 
desired.  His  rifle  furnished  him  with  food,  and 
with  the  skins  of  animals  for  bed  and  bedding. 
Every  frontiersman  knew  how  to  dress  the  skin  of 
deer  for  moccasins  and  other  garments.  With  a 
sharpened  stick  he  punched  holes  through  the  rank 
sod,  and  planted  corn,  in  soil  so  rich  that  it  would 
return  him  several  hundred-fold. 

Thus  his  tastes,  such  as  they  were,  were  grati- 
fied, and  he  enjoyed  what  to  him  were  life's  luxu- 
ries. He  probably  would  not  have  been  willing  to 


2O6  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

exchange  places  with  the  resident  in  the  most  costly 
mansion  in  our  great  cities.  In  a  few  days  he  got 
everything  comfortable  around  him.  Crockett's 
cabin,  or  rather  camp,  was  on  the  eastern  side  of 
the  Obion  River.  Seven  miles  farther  up  the  stream, 
on  the  western  bank,  a  Mr.  Owen  had  reared  his 
log  house.  One  morning,  Crockett,  taking  the  young 
man  Henry  and  his  son  with  him,  set  out  to  visit 
Mr.  Owen,  his  nearest  neighbor.  He  hobbled  his 
horse,  leaving  him  to  graze  until  he  got  back. 

They  followed  along  the  banks  of  the  river, 
through  the  forest,  until  they  reached  a  point 
nearly  opposite  Owen's  cabin.  By  crossing  the 
stream  there,  and  following  up  the  western  bank, 
they  would  be  sure  to  find  his  hut.  Th'ere  was  no 
boat,  and  the  stream  must  be  swum  or  forded. 
Recent  rains  had  caused  it  to  overflow  its  banks 
and  spread  widely  over  the  marshy  bottoms  and 
low  country  near  by.  The  water  was  icy  cold.  And 
yet  they  took  to  it,  says  Crockett,  "  like  so  many 
beavers." 

The  expanse  to  be  crossed  was  very  wide,  and 
they  knew  not  how  deep  they  should  find  the 
channel.  For  some  distance  the  water  continued 
quite  shoal.  Gradually  it  deepened.  Crockett  led 
the  way,  with  a  pole  in  his  hand.  Cautiously  he 
sounded  the  depth  before  him,  lest  they  should  fall 


THE   LEGISLATOR.  2O? 

into  any  slough.  A  dense  growth  of  young  trees 
covered  the  inundated  bottom  over  which  they 
were  wading.  Occasionally  they  came  to  a  deep 
but  narrow  gully.  Crockett,  with  his  hatchet, 
would  cut  down  a  small  tree,  and  by  its  aid  would 
cross. 

At  length  the  water  became  so  deep  that 
Crockett's  little  boy  had  to  swim,  though  they  evi- 
dently had  not  yet  reached  the  channel  of  the  stream. 
Having  waded  nearly  half  a  mile,  they  came  to  the 
channel.  The  stream,  within  its  natural  banks, 
was  but  about  forty  feet  wide.  Large  forest-trees 
fringed  the  shores.  One  immense  tree,  blown 
down  by  the  wind,  reached  about  halfway  across. 
Crocket,  with  very  arduous  labor  with  his  hatchet, 
cut  down  another,  so  that  it  fell  with  the  branches 
of  the  two  intertwining. 

Thus  aided  they  reached  the  opposite  side.  But 
still  the  lowlands  beyond  were  overflowed  as  far 
as  the  eye  could  see  through  the  dense  forest.  On 
they  waded,  for  nearly  a  mile,  when,  to  their  great 
joy,  they  came  in  sight  of  dry  land.  Their  garments 
were  dripping  and  they  were  severely  chilled  as  they 
reached  the  shore.  But  turning  their  steps  up  the 
stream,  they  soon  came  in  sight  of  the  cabin,  which 
looked  to  them  like  a  paradise  of  rest.  It  was  one 
of  the  rudest  of  huts.  The  fenceless  grounds  around 


208  DAVID  CROCKETT. 

were  rough  and  ungainly.  The  dismal  forest,  which 
chanced  there  to  have  escaped  both  earthquake  and 
hurricane,  spread  apparently  without  limits  in  all 
directions. 

Most  men,  most  women,  gazing  upon  a  scene  so 
wild,  lonely,  cheerless,  would  have  said,  "  Let  me 
sink  into  the  grave  rather  than  be  doomed  to  such  a 
home  as  that."  But  to  Crockett  and  his  companions 
it  presented  all  the  attractions  their  hearts  could 
desire.  Mr.  Owen  and  several  other  men  were  just 
starting  away  from  the  cabin,  when,  to  their  surprise, 
they  saw  the  party  of  strangers  approaching.  They 
waited  until  Crockett  came  up  and  introduced  him- 
self. The  men  with  Mr.  Owen  were  boatmen,  who 
had  entered  the  Obion  River  from  the  Mississippi 
with  a  boat-load  of  articles  for  trade.  They  were 
just  leaving  to  continue  their  voyage. 

Such  men  are  seldom  in  a  hurry.  Time  is  to 
them  of  but  very  little  value.  Hospitality  was  a  vir- 
tue which  cost  nothing.  Any  stranger,  with  his  rifle, 
could  easily  pay  his  way  in  the  procurement  of  food. 
They  all  turned  back  and  entered  the  cabin  toge- 
ther. Mrs.  Owen  was  an  excellent,  motherly  woman, 
about  fifty  years  of  age.  Her  sympathies  were  im- 
mediately excited  for  the  poor  little  boy,  whose  gar- 
ments were  drenched,  and  who  was  shivering  as  if  in 
an  ague-fit.  She  replenished  the  fire,  dried  his 


THE   LEGISLATOR.  209 

clothes,  and  gave  him  some  warm  and  nourishing 
food.  The  grateful  father  writes: 

"Her  kindness  to  my  little  boy  did  me  ten  times 
as  much  good  as  anything  she  could  have  done  for 
me,  if  she  had  tried  her  best." 

These  were  not  the  days  of  temperance.  The 
whiskey-bottle  was  considered  one  of  the  indispen- 
sables  of  every  log  cabin  which  made  any  pretences 
to  gentility.  The  boat,  moored  near  the  shore,  was 
loaded  with  whiskey,  flour,  sugar,  hardware,  and 
other  articles,  valuable  in  the  Indian  trade  in  the 
purchase  of  furs,  and  in  great  demand  in  the  huts  of 
pioneers.  There  was  a  small  trading-post  at  what 
was  called  McLemone's  Bluff,  about  thirty  miles 
farther  up  the  river  by  land,  and  nearly  one  hundred 
in  following  the  windings  of  the  stream.  '  This  point 
the  boatmen  were  endeavoring  to  reach. 

For  landing  their  cargo  at  this  point  the  boat- 
men were  to  receive  five  hundred  dollars,  besides  the 
profits  of  any  articles  they  could  sell  in  the  scattered 
hamlets  they  might  encounter  by  the  way.  The 
whiskey-bottle  was  of  course  brought  out.  Crockett 
drank  deeply ;  he  says,  at  least  half  a  pint.  His 
tongue  was  unloosed,  and  he  became  one  of  the  most 
voluble  and  entertaining  of  men.  His  clothes  having 
been  dried  by  the  fire,  and  all  having  with  boister- 
ous merriment  partaken  of  a  hearty  supper,  as  night 


210  DAVID  CROCKETT. 

came  on  the  little  boy  was  left  to  the  tender  care  of 
Mrs.  Owen,  while  the  rest  of  the  party  repaired  to 
the  cabin  of  the  boat,  to  make  a  night  of  it  in  drink- 
ing and  carousal. 

They  had  indeed  a  wild  time.  There  was  whis- 
key in  abundance.  Crockett  was  in  his  element,  and 
kept  the  whole  company  in  a  constant  roar.  Their 
shouts  and  bacchanal  songs  resounded  through  the 
solitudes,  with  clamor  and  profaneness  which  must 
have  fallen  painfully  upon  angels'  ears,  if  any  of 
heaven's  pure  and  gentle  spirits  were  within  hearing 
distance. 

"We  had,"  writes  Crockett,  "a  high  night  of 
it,  as  I  took  steam  enough  to  drive  out  all  the  cold 
that  was  in  me,  and  about  three  times  as  much 
more." 

These  boon  companions  became  warm  friends, 
according  to  the  most  approved  style  of  backwoods 
friendship.  Mr.  Owen  told  the  boatmen  that  a  few 
miles  farther  up  the  river  a  hurricane  had  entirely 
prostrated  the  forest,  and  that  the  gigantic  trees  so 
encumbered  the  stream  that  he  was  doubtful  whether 
the  boat  could  pass,  unless  the  water  should  rise 
higher.  Consequently  he,  with  Crockett  and  Henry, 
accompanied  the  boatmen  up  to  that  point  to  help 
them  through,  should  it  be  possible  to  effect  a  pas- 
sage. But  it  was  found  impossible,  and  the  boat 


THE   LEGISLATOR.  211 

dropped  down  again  to  its  moorings  opposite  Mr. 
Owen's  cabin. 

As  it  was  now  necessary  to  wait  till  the  river 
should  rise,  the  boatmen  and  Mr.  Owen  all  con- 
sented to  accompany  Crockett  to  the  place  where  he 
was  to  settle,  and  build  his  house  for  him.  It  seems 
very  strange  that,  in  that  dismal  wilderness,  Crockett 
should  not  have  preferred  to  build  his  cabin  near  so 
kind  a  neighbor.  But  so  it  was.  He  chose  his  lot 
at  a  distance  of  seven  miles  from  any  companion- 
ship. 

"  And  so  I  got  the  boatmen,"  he  writes,  "  all  to 
go  out  with  me  to  where  I  was  going  to  settle,  and 
we  slipped  up  a  cabin  in  little  or  no  time.  I  got 
from  the  boat  four  barrels  of  meal,  one  of  salt,  and 
about  ten  gallons  of  whiskey." 

For  these  he  paid  in  labor,  agreeing  to  accom- 
pany the  boatmen  up  the  river  as  far  as  their  land- 
ing-place at  McLemone's  Bluff. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

Life  on  the  Obion. 

Hunting  Adventures. — The  Voyage  up  the  River. — Scenes  in  the 
Cabin.— Return  Home.— Removal  of  the  Family.— Crockett's 
Riches. — A  Perilous  Enterprise. — Reasons  for  his  Celebrity. — 
Crockett's  Narrative.— A  Bear-Hunt.— Visit  to  Jackson.— Again 
a  Candidate  for  the  Legislature. — Electioneering  and  Election. 

THE  next  day  after  building  the  cabin,  to  which 
Crockett  intended  to  move  his  family,  it  began  to 
rain,  as  he  says,  "  rip-roariously."  The  river  rapidly 
rose,  and  the  boatmen  were  ready  to  resume  their 
voyage.  Crockett  stepped  out  into  the  forest  and 
shot  a  deer,  which  he  left  as  food  for  Abram  Henry 
and  his  little  boy,  who  were  to  remain  in  the  cabin 
until  his  return.  He  expected  to  be  absent  six  or 
seven  days.  The  stream  was  very  sluggish.  By 
poling,  as  it  was  called,  that  is,  by  pushing  the  boat 
with  long  poles,  they  reached  the  encumbrance 
caused  by  the  hurricane,  where  they  stopped  for  the 
night. 

In  the  morning,  as  soon  as  the  day  dawned, 
Crockett,  thinking  it  impossible  for  them  to  get 
through  the  fallen  timber  that  day,  took  his  rifle 


LIFE   ON   THE   OBION.  213 

and  went  into  the  forest  in  search  of  game.  He  had 
gone  but  a  short  distance  when  he  came  across  a 
fine  buck.  The  animal  fell  before  his  unerring  aim, 
and,  taking  the  prize  upon  his  shoulders,  he  com- 
menced a  return  to  the  boat. 

He  had  not  proceeded  far  before  he  came  upon 
the  fresh  tracks  of  a  herd  of  elks.  The  temptation 
to  follow  their  trail  was  to  a  veteran  hunter  irresist- 
ible. He  threw  down  his  buck,  and  had  not  gone 
far  before  he  came  upon  two  more  bucks,  very 
large  and  splendid  animals.  The  beautiful  creatures, 
though  manifesting  some  timidity,  did  not  seem  dis- 
posed to  run,  but,  with  their  soft,  womanly  eyes, 
gazed  with  wonder  upon  the  approaching  stranger. 
The  bullet  from  Crockett's  rifle  struck  between  the 
eyes  of  one,  and  he  -fell  dead.  The  other,  his  com- 
panion, exhibited  almost  human  sympathy.  Instead  . 
of  taking  to  flight,  he  clung  to  his  lifeless  associate, 
looking  down  upon  him  as  if  some  incomprehensible 
calamity  had  occurred.  Crockett  rapidly  reloaded 
his  rifle,  and  the  other  buck  fell  dead. 

He  hung  them  both  upon  the  limb  of  a  tree,  so 
that  they  should  not  be  devoured  by  the  wolves, 
and  followed  on  in  the  trail  of  the  elks.  He  did  not 
overtake  them  until  nearly  noon.  They  were  then 
beyond  rifle-shot,  and  kept  so,  luring  him  on  quite 
a  distance.  At  length  he  saw  two  other  fine  bucks, 


214  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

both  of  which  he  shot.  The  intellectual  culture 
of  the  man  may  be  inferred  from  the  following 
characteristic  description  which  he  gives  of  these 
events : 

"  I  saw  two  more  bucks,  very  large  fellows  too. 
I  took  a  blizzard  at  one  of  them,  and  up  he  tumbled. 
The  other  ran  off  a  few  jumps  and  stopped,  and 
stood  there  until  I  loaded  again  and  fired  at  him. 
I  knocked  his  trotters  from  under  him,  and  then  I 
hung  them  both  up.  I  pushed  on  again,  and  about 
sunset  I  saw  three  other  bucks.  I  down'd  with  one 
of  them,  and  the  other  two  ran  off.  I  hung  this  one 
up  also,  having  killed  six  that  day. 

"  I  then  pushed  on  till  I  got  to  the  hurricane, 
and  at  the  lower  edge  of  it,  about  where  I  expected 
the  boat  was.  Here  I  hollered  as  hard  as  I  could . 
roar,  but  could  get  no  answer.  I  fired  off  my  gun, 
and  the  men  on  the  boat  fired  one  too.  But,  quite 
contrary  to  my  expectations,  they  had  got  through 
the  timber,  and  were  about  two  miles  above  me. 
It  was  now  dark,  and  I  had  to  crawl  through  the 
fallen  timber  the  best  way  I  could ;  and  if  the 
reader  don't  know  it  was  bad  enough,  I  am  sure  I 
do.  For  the  vines  and  briers  had  grown  allthrough 
it,  and  so  thick  that  a  good  fat  coon  couldn't  much 
more  than  get  along.  I  got  through  at  last,  and 
went  on  to  near  where  I  had  killed  my  last  deer, 


LIFE   ON   THE   OBION.  215 

and  once  more  fired  off  my  gun,  which  was  again 
answered  from  the  boat,  which  was  a  little  above 
me.  I  moved  on  as  fast  as  I  could,  but  soon  came 
to  water ;  and  not  knowing  how  deep  it  was,  I 
halted,  and  hollered  till  they  came  to  me  with  a 
skiff.  I  now  got  to  the  boat  without  further  diffi- 
culty. But  the  briers  had  worked  on  me  at  such  a 
rate  that  I  felt  like  I  wanted  sewing  up  all  over.  I 
took  a  pretty  stiff  horn,  which  soon  made  me  feel 
much  better.  But  I  was  so  tired  that  I  could 
scarcely  work  my  jaws  to  eat." 

The  next  morning,  Crockett  took  a  young  man 
with  him  and  went  out  into  the  woods  to  bring  in 
the  game  he  had  shot.  They  brought  in  two  of  the 
bucks,  which  afforded  them  all  the  supply  of  venison 
they  needed,  and  left  the  others  hanging  upon  the 
trees.  The  boatmen  then  pushed  their  way  up  the 
river.  The  progress  was  slow,  and  eleven  toilsome 
days  passed  before  they  reached  their  destination. 
Crockett  had  now  discharged  his  debt,  and  prepared 
to  return  to  his  cabin.  There  was  a  light  skiff 
attached  to  the  large  flat-bottomed  boat  in  which 
they  had  ascended  the  river.  This  skiff  Crockett 
took,  and,  accompanied  by  a  young  man  by  the 
name  of  Flavius  Harris,  who  had  decided  to  go 
back  with  him,  speedily  paddled  their  way  down  the 
stream  to  his  cabin. 


21 6  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

There  were  now  four  occupants  of  this  lonely, 
dreary  hut,  which  was  surrounded  by  forests  and 
fallen  trees  and  briers  and  brambles.  They  all  went 
to  work  vigorously  in  clearing  some  land  for  a  corn- 
field, that  they  might  lay  in  a  store  for  the  coming 
winter.  The  spring  was  far  advanced,  and  the  sea- 
son for  planting  nearly  gone.  They  had  brought 
some  seed  with  them  on  their  pack-horse,  and  they 
soon  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  tender  sprouts 
pushing  up  vigorously  through  the  luxuriant  virgin 
soil.  It  was  not  necessary  to  fence  their  field. 
Crockett  writes: 

"There  was  no  stock  nor  anything  else  to  disturb 
our  corn  except  the  wild  varmints ;  and  the  old  ser- 
pent himself,  with  a  fence  to  help  him,  couldn't  keep 
them  out." 

Here  Crockett  and  his  three  companions  remain- 
ed through  the  summer  and  into  the  autumn,  until 
they  could  gather  in  their  harvest  of  corn.  During 
that  time  they  lived,  as  they  deemed,  sumptuously, 
upon  game.  To  kill  a  grizzly  bear  was  ever  consid- 
ered an  achievement  of  which  any  hunter  might 
boast.  During  the  summer,  Crockett  killed  ten  of 
these  ferocious  monsters.  Their  flesh  was  regard- 
ed as  a  great  delicacy.  And  their  shaggy  skins 
were  invaluable  in  the  cabin  for  beds  and  bedding. 
He  also  shot  deer  in  great  abundance.  The  smaller 


LIFE   OX   THE   OBIOX.  21/ 

game  he  took,  of  fat  turkeys,  partridges,  pigeons,  etc., 
he  did  not  deem  worth  enumerating. 

It  was  a  very  lazy,  lounging,  indolent  life. 
Crockett  could  any  morning  go  into  the  woods  and 
shoot  a  deer.  He  would  bring  all  the  desirable  parts 
of  it  home  upon  his  shoulders,  or  he  would  take  his 
pack-horse  out  with  him  for  that  purpose.  At  their 
glowing  fire,  outside  of  the  cabin  if  the  weather 
were  pleasant,  inside  if  it  rained,  they  would  cook 
the  tender  steaks.  They  had  meal  for  corn  bread  ; 
and  it  will  also  be  remembered  that  they  had  sugar, 
and  ten  gallons  of  whiskey. 

The  deerskins  were  easily  tanned  into  soft  and 
pliant  leather.  They  all  knew  how  to  cut  these 
skins,  and  with  tough  sinews  to  sew  them  into  hunt- 
ing-shirts, moccasins,  and  other  needed  garments. 
Sitting  Indian-fashion  on  mattresses  or  cushions  of 
bearskin,  with  just  enough  to  do  gently  to  interest 
the  mind,  with  no  anxiety  or  thought  even  about 
the  future,  they  would  loiter  listlessly  through  the 
long  hours  of  the  summer  days. 

Occasionally  two  or  three  Indians,  on  a  hunting 
excursion,  would  visit  the  cabin.  These  Indians 
were  invariably  friendly.  Crockett  had  no  more 
apprehension  that  they  would  trouble  him  than  he 
had  that  the  elk  or  the  deer  would  make  a  midnight 
attack  upon  his  cabin.  Not  unfrequently  they 


21 8  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

would  have  a  visit  from  Mr.  Owen's  household ;  or 
they  would  all  go  up  to  his  hut  for  a  carouse.  Two 
or  three  times,  during  the  summer,  small  parties 
exploring  the  country  came  along,  and  would  rest 
a  day  or  two  under  Crockett's  hospitable  roof. 
Thus  with  these  men,  with  their  peculiar  habits  and 
tastes,  the  summer  probably  passed  away  as  pleas- 
antly as  with  most  people  in  this  world  of  care  and 
trouble. 

Early  in  the  autumn,  Crockett  returned  to  Cen- 
tral Tennessee  to  fetch  his  family  to  the  new  home. 
Upon  reaching  his  cabin  in  Giles  County,  he  was 
met  by  a  summons  to  attend  a  special  session  of  the 
Legislature.  He  attended,  and  served  out  his  time, 
though  he  took  but  little  interest  in  legislative 
affairs.  His  thoughts  were  elsewhere,' and  he  was 
impatient  for  removal,  before  cold  weather  should 
set  in,  to  his  far-distant  home. 

Late  in  October  he  set  out  with  his  little  family 
on  foot,  for  their  long  journey  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  through  almost  a  pathless  forest.  His 
poverty  was  extreme.  But  the  peculiar  character 
of  the  man  was  such  that  he  did  net  seem  to  regard 
that  at  all.  Two  pack-horses  conveyed  all  their 
household  goods.  Crockett  led  the  party,  with  a 
child  on  one  arm  and  his  rifle  on  the  other.  He 
walked  gayly  along,  singing  as  merrily  as  the  birds. 


LIFE   ON   THE   OBION.  219 

Half  a  dozen  dogs  followed  him.  Then  came  the 
horses  in  single  file.  His  wife  and  older  children, 
following  one  after  the  other  in  single  file  along 
the  narrow  trail,  closed  up  the  rear.  It  was  a  very 
singular  procession,  thus  winding  its  way,  thrdligh 
forest  and  moor,  over  hills  and  prairies,  to  the  silent 
shores  of  the  Mississippi.  The  eventful  journey  was 
safely  accomplished,  and  he  found  all  things  as  he 
had  left  them.  A  rich  harvest  of  golden  ears  was 
waving  in  his  corn-field  ;  and  his  comfortable  cabin, 
in  all  respects  as  comfortable  as  the  one  he  had 
left,  was  ready  to  receive  its  inmates. 

He  soon  gathered  in  his  harvest,  and  was  thus 
amply  supplied  with  bread  for  the  winter.  Fuel, 
directly  at  his  hand,  was  abundant,  and  thus,  as  we 
may  say,  his  coal-bin  was  full.  Game  of  every  kind, 
excepting  buffaloes,  was  ranging  the  woods,  which 
required  no  shelter  or  food  at  his  expense,  and 
from  which  he  could,  at  pleasure,  select  any  variety 
of  the  most  delicious  animal  food  he  might  desire. 
Thus  his  larder  was  full  to  repletion.  The  skins  of 
animals  furnished  them  with  warm  and  comfortable 
clothing,  easily  decorated  with  fringes  and  some 
bright  coloring,  whose  beauty  was  tasteful  to  every 
eye.  Thus  the  family  wardrobe  was  amply  stored. 
Many  might  have  deemed- Crockett  a  poor  man. 
He  regarded  himself  as  one  of  the  lords  of  creation. 


220  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

Christmas  was  drawing  nigh.  It  may  be  doubt- 
.  ed  whether  Crockett  had  the  slightest  appreciation 
of  the  sacred  character  of  that  day  which  commemo- 
rates the  advent  of  the  Son  of  God  to  suffer  and  die 
for  the  sins  of  the  world.  With  Crockett  it  had 
ever  been  a  day  of  jollification.  He  fired  salutes 
with  his  rifle.  He  sung  his  merriest  songs.  He 
told  his  funniest  stories.  He  indulged  himself  in 
the  highest  exhilaration  which  whiskey  could  in- 
duce. 

As  this  holiday  approached,  Crockett  was  much 
troubled  in  finding  that  his  powder  was  nearly 
expended,  and  that  he  had  none  "  to  fire  Christmas 
guns."  This  seemed  really  to  annoy  him  more 
than  that  he  had  none  to  hunt  with. 

In  the  mean  time,  a  brother-in-law  had  moved 
to  tli at  region,  and  had  reared  his  cabin  at  a  distance 
of  six  miles  from  the  hut  of  David  Crockett,  on  the 
western  bank  of  Rutherford's  Fork,  one  of  the  tribu- 
taries of  Obion  River.  He  had  brought  with  him  a 
keg  of  powder  for  Crockett,  which  had  not  yet  been 
delivered. 

The  region  all  around  was  low  and  swampy. 
The  fall  rains  had  so  swollen  the  streams  that  vast 
extents  of  territory  were  inundated.  All  the  river- 
bottoms  were  covered 'with  water.  The  meadows 
which  lined  the  Obion,  where  Crocket*-  would  have 


LIFE   ON  THE   OBION.  221 

t6  pass,  were  so  flooded,  that  it  was  all  of  a  mile 
from  shore  to  shore. 

The  energy  which  Crockett  displayed  on  the 
difficult  and  perilous  journey,  illustrates  those  re- 
markable traits  of  character  which  have  given  him 
such  wide  renown.  There  must  be  something  very 
extraordinary  about  a  man  which  can  make  his 
name  known  throughout  a  continent.  And  of  the 
forty  millions  of  people  in  the  United  States,  there 
is  scarcely  one,  of  mature  years,  who  has  not  heard 
the  name  of  David  Crockett. 

When  Crockett  told  his  wife  that  he  had  decided 
to  go  to  his  brother's  for  the  powder,  she  earnestly 
remonstrated,  saying  that  it  was  at  the  imminent 
hazard  of  his  life.  The  ground  was  covered  with 
snow.  He  would  have  to  walk  at  least  a  mile 
through  icy  water,  up  to  his  waist,  and  would  proba- 
bly have  to  swim  the  channel.  He  then,  with  drip- 
ping clothes,  and  through  the  cold  wintry  blast, 
would  have  to  walk  several  miles  before  he  could 
reach  his  brother's  home.  Crockett  persisted  in  his 
determination,  saying,  "  I  have  no  powder  for 
Christmas,  and  we  are  out  of  meat." 

He  put  on  some  woollen  wrappers  and  a  pair  of 
deerskin  moccasins.  He  then  tied  up  a  small  bun- 
dle of  clothes,  with  shoes  and  stockings,  which  he 
might  exchange  for  his  dripping  garments  when  he 


222  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

should  reach  his  brother's  cabin.  I  quote  from  his 
own  account  of  the  adventure. 

"  I  didn't  before  know  how  much  a  person  could 
suffer  and  not  die.  The  snow  was  about  four  inches 
deep  when  I  started.  And  when  I  got  to  the  water, 
which  was  only  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  off,  it  looked 
like  an  ocean.  I  put  in,  and  waded  on  till  I  came  to 
the  channel,  where  I  crossed  that  on  a  high  log. 
I  then  took  water  again,  having  my  gun  and  all  my 
hunting  tools  along,  and  waded  till  I  came  to  a  deep 
slough,  that  was  wider  than  the  river  itself.  I  had 
often  crossed  it  on  a  log ;  but  behold,  when  I  got 
there  no  log  was  to  be  seen. 

"  I  know'd  of  an  island  in  the  slough,  and  a  sap- 
ling stood  on  it  close  to  the  side  of  that  log,  which 
was  now  entirely  under  water.  I  know'd  further, 
that  the  water  was  about  eight  or  ten  feet  deep 
under  the  log,  and  I  judged  it  to  be  three  feet  deep 
over  it.  After  studying  a  little  what  I  should  do,  I 
determined  to  cut  a  forked  sapling,  which  stood  near 
me,  so  as  to  lodge  it  against  the  one  that  stood  on 
the  island.  In  this  I  succeeded  very  well.  I  then 
cut  me  a  pole,  and  then  crawled  along  on  my  sap- 
ling till  I  got  to  the  one  it  was  lodged  against,  which 
was  about  six  feet  above  the  water. 

"  I  then  felt  about  with  the  pole  till  I  found  the 
log,  which  was  just  about  as  deep  under  the  water 


LIFE   ON   THE   OBION.  22$ 

as  I  had  judged.  I  then  crawled  back  and  got  my 
gun,  which  I  had  left  at  the  stump  of  the  sapling  I 
had  cut,  and  again  made  my  way  to  the  place  of 
lodgment,  and  then  climbed  down  the  other  sapling 
so  as  to  get  on  the  log.  I  felt  my  way  along  with 
my  feet  in  the  water  about  waist-deep,  but  it  was  a 
mighty  ticklish  business.  However,  I  got  over,  and 
by  this  time  I  had  very  little  feeling  in  my  feet  and 
legs,  as  I  had  been  all  the  time  in  the  water,  except 
what  time  I  was  crossing  the  high  log  over  the  river 
and  climbing  my  lodged  sapling. 

"  I  went  but  a  short  distance  when  I  came  to 
another  slough,  over  which  there  was  a  log,  but  it  was 
floating  on  the  water.  I  thought  I  could  walk  it,  so  I 
mounted  on  it.  But  when  I  had  got  about  the  mid- 
dle of  the  deep  water,  somehow  or  somehow  else,  it 
turned  over,  and  in  I  went  up  to  my  head.  I  waded 
out  of  this  deep  water,  and  went  ahead  till  I  came 
to  the  highland,  where  I  stopped  to  pull  of  my  wet 
clothes,  and  put  on  the  others  which  I  held  up  with 
my  gun  above  water  when  I  fell  in." 

This  exchanging  of  his  dripping  garments  for 
dry  clothes,  standing  in  the  snow  four  inches  deep, 
and  exposed  to  the  wintry  blast,  must  have  been  a 
pretty  severe  operation.  Hardy  as  Crockett  was, 
he  was  so  chilled  and  numbed  by  the  excessive  cold 
that  his  flesh  had  scarcely  any  feeling.  He  tied  his 


224  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

wet  clothes  together  and  hung  them  up  on  the  limb 
of  a  tree,  to  drip  and  dry.  He  thought  he  would 
then  set  out  on  the  full  run.  and  endeavor  thus  to 
warm  himself  by  promoting  the  more  rapid  circula- 
tion of  his  blood.  But  to  his  surprise  he  could 
scarcely  move.  With  his  utmost  exertions  he  could 
not  take  a  step  more  than  six  inches  in  length. 
He  had  still  five  miles  to  walk,  through  a  rough, 
pathless  forest,  encumbered  with  snow. 

By  great  and  painful  effort  he  gradually  recov- 
ered the  use  of  his  limbs,  and  toiling  along  for  two  or 
three  hours,  late  in  the  evening  was  cheered  by  seeing 
the  light  of  a  bright  fire  shining  through  the  chinks 
between  the  logs  of  his  brother's  lonely  cabin.  He 
was  received  with  the  utmost  cordiality.  Even  his 
hardy  pioneer  brother  listened  with  astonishment  to 
the  narrative  of  the  perils  he  had  surmounted  and 
the  sufferings  he  had  endured.  After  the  refresh- 
ment of  a  warm  supper,  Crockett  wrapped  himself 
in  a  bearskin,  and  lying  down  upon  the  floor,  with 
his  feet  to  the  fire,  slept  the  sweet,  untroubled  sleep 
of  a  babe.  In  the  morning  he  awoke  as  well  as  ever, 
feeling  no  bad  consequences  from  the  hardships  of 
the  preceding  day. 

The  next  morning  a  freezing  gale  from  the  north 
wailed  through  the  snow-whitened  forest,  and  the 
cold  was  almost  unendurable.  The  earnest  per- 


LIFE   ON   THE   OBION.  225 

suasions  of  his  brother  and  his  wife  induced  him  to 
remain  with  them  for  the  day.  But,  with  his  accus- 
tomed energy,  instead  of  enjoying  the  cosey  comfort 
of  the  fireside,  he  took  his  rifle,  and  went  out  into 
the  woods,  wading  the  snow  and  breasting  the  gale. 
After  the  absence  of  an  hour  or  two,  he  returned 
tottering  beneath  the  load  of  two  deer,  which  he 
had  shot,  and  which  he  brought  to  the  cabin  on  his 
shoulders.  Thus  he  made  a  very  liberal  contribu- 
tion to  the  food  of  the  family,  so  that  his  visit  was 
a  source  of  profit  to  them,  not  of  loss. 

All  the  day,  and  during  the  long  wintry  night, 
the  freezing  blasts  blew  fiercely,  and  the  weather 
grew  more  severely  cold.  The  next  morning  his 
friends  urged  him  to  remain  another  day.  They  all 
knew  that  the  water  would  be  frozen  over,  but  not 
sufficiently  hard  to  bear  his  weight,  and  this  would 
add  greatly  to  the  difficulty  and  the  danger  of  his 
return.  It  seemed  impossible  that  any  man  could 
endure,  on  such  a  day,  fording  a  swollen  stream,  a 
mile  in  breadth,  the  water  most  of  the  way  up  to  his 
waist,  in  some  places  above  his  head,  and  breaking 
the  ice  at  every  step.  The  prospect  appalled  even 
Crockett  himself.  He  therefore  decided  to  remain 
till  the  next  morning,  though  he  knew  that  his 
family  would  be  left  in  a  state  of  great  anxiety.  He 
hoped  that  an  additional  day  and  night  might  so  add 


226  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

to  the  thickness  of  the  ice  that  it  would  bear  his 
weight. 

He  therefore  shouldered  his  musket  and  again 
went  into  the  woods  on  a  hunt.  Though  he  saw  an 
immense  bear,  and  followed  him  for  some  distance, 
he  was  unable  to  shoot  him.  After  several  hours' 
absence,  he  returned  empty-handed. 

Another  morning  dawned,  lurid  and  chill,  over 
the  gloomy  forest.  Again  his  friends  entreated  him 
not  to  run  the  risk  of  an  attempt  to  return  in  such 
fearful  weather.  "  It  was  bitter  cold,"  he  writes, 
"  but  I  know'd  my  family  was  without  meat,  and  I 
determined  to  get  home  to  them,  or  die  a-trying." 

We  will  let  Crockett  tell  his  own  story  of  his 
adventures  in  going  back  : 

"  I  took  my  keg  of  powder  and  all  my  hunting 
tools  and  cut  out.  When  I  got  to  the  water,  it  was 
a  sheet  of  ice  as  far  as  I  could  see.  I  put  on  to  it, 
but  hadn't  got  far  before  it  broke  through  with  me  ; 
and  so  I  took  out  my  tomahawk,  and  broke  my  way 
along  before  me  for  a  considerable  distance. 

"  At  last  I  got  to  where  the  ice  would  bear  me 
for  a  short  distance,  and  I  mounted  on  it  and  went 
ahead.  But  it  soon  broke  in  again,  and  I  had  to 
wade  on  till  I  came  to  my  floating  log.  I  found  it 
so  tight  this  time,  that  I  know'd  it  couldn't  give  me 
another  fall,  as  it  was  frozen  in  with  the  ice.  I 


•  LIFE   ON   THE   OBION.  227 

crossed  over  it  without  much  difficulty,  and  worked 
along  till  I  came  to  my  lodged  sapling  and  my  log 
under  the  water. 

"  The  swiftness  of  the  current  prevented  the 
water  from  freezing  over  it  ;  and  so  I  had  to  wade, 
just  as  I  did  when  I  crossed  it  before.  When  I  got 
to  my  sapling,  I  left  my  gun,  and  climbed  out  with 
my  powder-keg  first,  and  then  went  back  and  got 
my  gun.  By  this  time,  I  was  nearly  frozen  to  death  ; 
but  I  saw  all  along  before  me  where  the  ice  had 
been  fresh  broke,  and  I  thought  it  must  be  a  bear 
struggling  about  in  the  water.  I  therefore  fresh- 
primed  my  gun,  and,  cold  as  I  was,  I  was  determined 
to  make  war  on  him  if  we  met.  But  I  followed  the 
trail  till  it  led  me  home.  Then  I  found  that  it  had 
been  made  by  my  young  man  that  lived  with  me, 
who  had  been  sent  by  my  distressed  wife  to  see,  if 
he  could,  what  had  become  of  me,  for  they  all  be-r 
lieved  that  I  was  dead.  When  I  got  home,  I  wasn't 
quite  dead,  but  mighty  nigh  it  ;  but  had  my  pow- 
der, and  that  was  what  I  went  for." 

The  night  after  Crockett's  return  a  heavy  rain 
fell,  which,  toward  morning,  turned  to  sleet.  But 
there  was  no  meat  in  the  cabin.  There  were  at  that 
time  three  men  who  were  inmates  of  that  lowly  hut 
— Crockett,  a  young  man,  Flavius  Harris,  who  had 
taken  up  his  abode  with  the  pioneer,  and  a  brother- 


228  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

in-law,  who  had  recently  emigrated  to  that  wild 
country,  and  had  reared  his  cabin  not  far  distant 
from  Crockett's.  They  all  turned  out  hunting. 
Crockett,  hoping  to  get  a  bear,  went  up  the  river  into 
the  dense  and  almost  impenetrable  thickets,  where 
the  gigantic  forest  had  been  swept  low  by  the  hurri- 
cane. The  other  two  followed  down  the  stream  in 
search  of  turkeys,  grouse,  and  such  small  game. 

Crockett  took  with  him  three  dogs,  one  of  which 
was  an  old  hound,  faithful,  sagacious,  but  whose 
most  vigorous  days  were  gone.  The  dogs  were 
essential  in  hunting  bears.  By  their  keen  scent  they 
would  find  the  animal,  which  fact  they  would  an- 
nounce to  the  hunter  by  their  loud  barking.  Imme- 
diately a  fierce  running  fight  would  ensue.  By  this 
attack  the  bear  would  be  greatly  retarded  in  his 
flight,  so  that  the  hunter  could  overtake  him,  and 
he  would  often  be  driven  into  a  tree,  where  the  un- 
erring rifle-bullet  would  soon  bring  him  down. 

The  storm  of  sleet  still  raged,  and  nothing  could 
be  more  gloomy  than  the  aspect  of  dreariness  and 
desolation  which  the  wrecked  forest  presented  with 
its  dense  growth  of  briers  and  thorns.  Crockett 
toiled  through  the  storm  and  the  brush  about  six 
miles  up  the  river,  and  saw  nothing.  He  then 
crossed  over,  about  four  miles,  to  another  stream. 
Still  no  garne  appeared.  The  storm  was  growing 


LIFE   ON   THE   OBION.  229 

more  violent,  the  sleet  growing  worse  and  worse. 
Even  the  bears  sought  shelter  from  the  pitiless 
wintry  gale.  The  bushes  were  all  bent  down  with 
the  ice  which  clung  to  their  branches,  and  were  so 
bound  together  that  it  was  almost  impossible  for 
any  one  to  force  his  way  through  them. 

The  ice  upon  the  stream  would  bear  Crockett's 
weight.  He  followed  it  down  a  mile  or  two,  when 
his  dogs  started  up  a  large  flock  of  turkeys.  He 
shot  two  of  them.  They  were  immensely  large,  fat, 
and  heavy.  Tying  their  legs  together,  he  slung 
them  over  his  shoulder,  and  with  this  additional 
burden  pressed  on  his  toilsome  way.  Ere  long  he 
became  so  fatigued  that  he  was  compelled  to  sit 
down  upon  a  log  to  rest. 

Just  then  his  dogs  began  to  bark  furiously.  He 
was  quite  sure  that  they  had  found  a  bear.  Eagerly 
he  followed  the  direction  they  indicated,  as  fast  as 
he  could  force  his  way  along.  To  his  surprise  he 
found  that  the  three  dogs  had  stopped  near  a  large 
tree,  and  were  barking  furiously  at  nothing.  But  as 
soon  as  they  saw  him  approaching  they  started 
off  again,  making  the  woods  resound  with  their 
baying.  Having  run  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile, 
he  could  perceive  that  again  they  had  stopped. 
When  Crockett  reached  them  there  was  no  game 
in  sight.  The  dogs,  barking  furiously  again,  as 


230  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

soon  as  they  saw  him  approaching  plunged  into  the 
thicket. 

For  a  third  time,  and  a  fourth  time,  this  was 
repeated.  Crockett  could  not  understand  what  it 
meant.  Crockett  became  angry  at  being  thus  de- 
ceived, and  resolved  that  he  would  shoot  the  old 
hound,  whom  he  considered  the  ringleader  in  the 
mischief,  as  soon  as  he  got  near  enough  to  do  so. 

"  With  this  intention,"  he  says,  "  I  pushed  on 
the  harder,  till  I  came  to  the  edge  of'  an  open 
prairie ;  and  looking  on  before  my  dogs,  I  saw  about 
the  biggest  bear  that  ever  was  seen  in  America. 
He  looked,  at  the  distance  he  was  from  me,  like  a 
large  black  bull.  My  dogs  were  afraid  to  attack 
him,  and  that  was  the  reason  they  had  stopped  so 
often  that  I  might  overtake  them." 

This  is  certainly  a  remarkable  instance  of  animal 
sagacity.  The  three  dogs,  by  some  inexplicable 
conference  among  themselves,  decided  that  the 
enemy  was  too  formidable  for  them  to  attack  alone. 
They  therefore  summoned  their  master  to  their  aid. 
As  soon  as  they  saw  that  he  was  near  enough  to 
lend  his  cooperation,  then  they  fearlessly  assailed 
the  monster. 

The  sight  inspired  Crockett  with  new  life. 
Through  thickets,  briers,  and  brambles  they  all 
rushed — bear,  dogs,  and  hunter.  At  length,  the 


LIFE   ON   THE   OBION.  23! 

shaggy  monster,  so  fiercely  assailed,  climbed  for 
refuge  a  large  black-oak  tree,  and  sitting  among  the 
branches,  looked  composedly  down  upon  the  dogs 
barking  fiercely  at  its  foot.  Crockett  crept  up  within 
about  eighty  yards,  and  taking  deliberate  aim  at  his 
breast,  fired.  The  bullet  struck  and  pierced  the 
monster  directly  upon  the  spot  at  which  it  was 
aimed.  The  bear  uttered  a  sharp  cry,  made  a  convul- 
sive movement  with  one  paw,  and  remained  as  before 

Speedily  Crockett  reloaded  his  rifle,  and  sent 
another  bullet  to  follow  the  first.  The  shaggy  brute 
shuddered  in  every,  limb,  and  then  tumbled  head- 
long to  the  icy  ground.  Still  he  was  not  killed. 
The  dogs  plunged  upon  him,  and  there  was  a  tre- 
mendous fight.  The  howling  of  the  bear,  and  the 
frenzied  barking  of  the  dogs,  with  their  sharp  cries 
of  pain  as  the  claws  of  the  monster  tore  their  flesh, 
and  the  deathly  struggle  witnessed  as  they  rolled 
over  and  over  each  other  in  the  fierce  fight,  pre- 
sented a  terrific  spectacle. 

Crockett  hastened  to  the  aid  of  his  dogs.  As 
soon  as  the  bear  saw  him  approach,  he  forsook  the 
inferior,  and  turned  with  all  fury  upon  the  superior 
foe.  Crockett  was  hurrying  forward  with  his  toma- 
hawk in  one  hand  and  his  big  butcher-knife  in  the 
other,  when  the  bear,  with  eyes  flashing  fire,  rushed 
upon  him.  Crockett  ran  back,  seized  his  rifle,  and 


232  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

with  a  third  bullet  penetrated  the  monster's  brain, 
and  he  fell  dead.  The  dogs  and  their  master  seem- 
ed to  rejoice  alike  in  their  great  achievement. 

By  the  route  which  Crockett  had  pursued,  he 
was  about  twelve  miles  from  home.  Leaving  the 
huge  carcass  where  the  animal  had  fallen,  he  en- 
deavored to  make  a  straight  line  through  the  forest 
to  his  cabin.  That  he  might  find  his  way  back 
again,  he  would,  at  every  little  distance,  blaze,  as  it 
was  called,  a  sapling,  that  is,  chip  off  some  of  the 
bark  with  his  hatchet.  When  he  got  within  a  mile 
of  home  this  was  no  longer  necessary. 

The  other  two  men  had  already  returned  to  the 
cabin.  As  the  wolves  might  devour  the  valuable 
meat  before  morning,  they  all  three  set  out  imme- 
diately, notwithstanding  their  fatigue  and  the  still 
raging  storm,  and  taking  with  them  four  pack- 
horses,  hastened  back  to  bring  in  their  treasure. 
Crockett  writes : 

"  We  got  there  just  before  dark,  and  struck  a 
fire,  and  commenced  butchering  my  bear.  It  was 
some  time  in  the  night  before  we  finished  it.  And 
I  can  assert,  on  my  honor,  that  I  believe  he  would 
have  weighed  six  hundred  pounds.  It  was  the  sec- 
ond largest  I  ever  saw.  I  killed  one,  a  few  years 
after,  that  weighed  six  hundred  and  seventeen 
pounds.  I  now  felt  fully  compensated  for  my  suf- 


LIFE   ON  THE   OBION.  233 

ferings  in  going  hack  after  my  powder  ;  and  well  sat- 
isfied that  a  dog  might  sometimes  be  doing  a  good 
business,  even  when  he  seemed  to  be  barking  up  the 
wrong  tree. 

"  We  got  our  meat  home,  and  I  had  the  pleasure 
to  know  that  we  now  had  a  plenty,  and  that  of  the 
best ;  and  I  continued  through  the  winter  to  supply 
my  family  abundantly  with  bear-meat,  and  venison 
from  the  woods." 

In  the  early  spring,  Crockett  found  that  he  had  a 
large  number  of  valuable  skins  on  hand,  which  he 
had  taken  during  the  winter.  About  forty  miles 
southeast  from  Crockett's  cabin,  in  the  heart  of 
Madison  County,  was  the  thriving  little  settlement 
of  Jackson.  Crockett  packed  his  skins  on  a  horse, 
shouldered  his  rifle,  and  taking  his  hardy  little  son 
for  a  companion,  set  off  there  to  barter  his  peltries 
for  such  articles  of  household  use  as  he  could  con- 
vey back  upon  his  horse.  The  journey  was  accom- 
plished with  no  more  than  the  ordinary  difficulties. 
A  successful  trade  was  effected,  and  with  a  rich 
store  of  coffee,  sugar,  powder,  lead,  and  salt,  the 
father  and  son  prepared  for  their  return. 

Crockett  found  there  some  of  his  old  fellow-sol- 
diers of  the  Creek  War.  When  all  things  were  ready 
for  a  start,  he  went  to  bid  adieu  to  his  friends  and  to 
take  a  parting  dram  with  them.  There  were  three 


234  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

men  present  who  were  candidates  for  the  State  Le- 
gislature. While  they  were  having  a  very  merry  time, 
one,  as  though  uttering  a  thought  which  had  that 
moment  occurred  to  him,  exclaimed,  "  Why,  Crockett, 
you  ought  to  offer  yourself  for  the  Legislature  for 
your  district."  Crockett  replied,  "  I  live  at  least 
forty  miles  from  any  white  settlement."  Here  the 
matter  dropped. 

About  ten  days  after  Crockett's  return  home,  a 
stranger,  passing  along,  stopped  at  Crockett's  cabin 
and  told  him  that  he  was  a  candidate  for  Legislature, 
and  took  from  his  pocket  a  paper,  and  read  to  him 
the  announcement  of  the  fact.  There  was  some- 
thing in  the  style  of  the  article  which  satisfied 
Crockett  that  there  was  a  little  disposition  to  make 
fun  of  him  ;  and  that  his  nomination  was  intended  as 
a' burlesque.  This  roused  him,  and  he  resolved  to 
put  in  his  claim  with  all  his  zeal.  He  consequently 
hired  a  man  to  work  upon  his  farm,  and  set  out  on 
an  electioneering  tour. 

Though  very  few  people  had  seen  Crockett,  he 
had  obtained  very  considerable  renown  in  that  com- 
munity of  backwoodsmen  as  a  great  bear-hunter. 
Dr.  Butler,  a  man  of  considerable  pretensions,  and, 
by  marriage,  a  nephew  of  General  Jackson,  wras  the 
rival  candidate,  and  a  formidable  one.  Indeed,  he 
and  his  friends  quite  amused  themselves  with  the 


LIFE   ON   THE   OBION.  235 

idea  that  "  the  gentleman  from  the  cane,"  as  they 
contemptuously  designated  Crockett,  could  be  so 
infatuated  as  to  think  that  there  was  the  least  chance 
for  him.  The  population  of  that  wilderness  region 
was  so  scarce  that  the  district  for  which  a  repre- 
sentative was  to  be  chosen  consisted  of  eleven 
counties. 

A  great  political  gathering  was  called,  which  was 
to  be  held  in  Madison  County,  which  was  the  strong- 
est of  them  all.  Here  speeches  were  to  be  made  by 
the  rival  candidates  and  their  friends,  and  election- 
eering was  to  be  practised  by  all  the  arts  customary 
in  that  rude  community.  The  narrative  of  the  events 
which  ensued  introduces  us  to  a  very  singular  state 
of  society.  At  the  day  appointed  there  was  a  large 
assembly,  in  every  variety  of  backwoods  costume, 
among  the  stumps  and  the  lowly  cabins  of  Jackson. 
Crockett  mingled  with  the  crowd,  watching  events, 
listening  to  everything  which  was  said,  and  keeping 
himself  as  far  as  possible  unknown. 

Dr.  Butler,  seeing  a  group  of  men,  entered  among 
them,  and  called  for  whiskey  to  treat  them  all.  The 
Doctor  had  once  met  Crockett  when  a  few  weeks  be- 
fore he  had  been  in  Jackson  selling  his  furs.  He 
however  did  not  recognize  his  rival  among  the  crowd. 
As  the  whiskey  was  passing  freely  around,  Crockett 
thought  it  a  favorable  moment  to  make  himself 


236  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

known,  and  to  try  his  skill  at  an  electioneering  speech. 
He  was  a  good-looking  man,  with  a  face  beaming 
with  fun  and  smiles,  and  a  clear,  ringing  voice.  He 
jumped  upon  a  stump  and  shouted  out,  in  tones 
which  sounded  far  and  wide,  and  which  speedily 
gathered  all  around  him. 

"Hallo!  Doctor  Butler;  you  don't  know  me, 
do  you  ?  But  I'll  make  you  know  me  mighty  well 
before  August.  I  see  they  have  weighed  you  out 
against  me.  But  I'll  beat  you  mighty  badly." 

Butler  pleasantly  replied,  "  Ah,  Colonel  Crockett, 
is  that  you  ?  Where  did  you  come  from  ?  " 

Crockett  rejoined,  "  Oh,  I  have  just  crept  out 
from  the  cane,  to  see  what  discoveries  I  could  make 
among  the  white  folks.  You  think  you  have  greatly 
the  advantage  of  me,  Butler.  'Tis  true  I  live  forty 
miles  from  any  settlement.  I  am  poor,  and  you  are 
rich.  You  see  it  takes  two  coonskins  here  to  buy 
a  quart.  But  I've  good  dogs,  and  my  little  boys  at 
home  will  go  to  their  death  to  support  my  election. 
They  are  mighty  industrious.  They  hunt  every 
night  till  twelve  o'clock.  It  keeps  the  little  fellows 
mighty  busy  to  keep  me  in  whiskey.  When  they 
gets  tired,  I  takes  my  rifle  and  goes  out  and  kills  a 
wolf,  for  which  the  State  pays  me  three  dollars.  So 
one  way  or  other  I  keeps  knocking  along." 

Crockett  perhaps  judged  correctly  that  the  can- 


LIFE   ON   THE   OBION.  237 

didate  who  could  furnish  the  most  whiskey  would 
get  the  most  votes.  He  thus  adroitly  informed  these 
thirsty  men  of  his  readiness  and  his  ability  to  furnish 
them  with  all  the  liquor  they  might  need.  Strange 
as  his  speech  seems  to  us,  it  was  adapted  to  the  oc- 
casion, and  was  received  with  roars  of  laughter  and 
obstreperous  applause.  . 

"  Well,  Colonel,"  said  Dr.  Butler,  endeavoring  to 
clothe  his  own  countenance  with  smiles,  "  I  see  you 
can  beat  me  electioneering." 

"My  dear  fellow,"  shouted  out  Crockett,  "you 
don't  call  this  electioneering,  do  you  ?  When  you 
see  me  electioneering,  I  goes  fixed  for  the  purpose. 
I've  got  a  suit  of  deer-leather  clothes,  with  two  big 
pockets.  So  I  puts  a  bottle  of  whiskey  in  one,  and  a 
twist  of  tobacco  in  t'other,  and  starts  out.  Then,  if 
I  meets  a  friend,  why,  I  pulls  out  my  bottle  and 
gives  him  a  drink.  He'll  be  mighty  apt,  before^he 
drinks,  to  throw  away  his  tobacco.  So  when  he's 
done,  I  pulls  my  twist  out  of  t'other  pocket  and 
gives  him  a  chaw.  I  never  likes  to  leave  a  man  worse 
off  than  when  I  found  him.  If  I  had  given  him  a 
drink  and  he  had  lost  his  tobacco,  he  would  not 
have  made  much.  But  give  him  tobacco,  and  a  drink 
too,  and  you  are  mighty  apt  to  get  his  vote." 

With  such  speeches  as  these,  interlarded  with 
*un  and  anecdote,  and  a  liberal  supply  of  whiskey. 


238  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

Crockett  soon  made  himself  known  through  all  the 
grounds,  and  he  became  immensely  popular.  The 
backwoodsmen  regarded  him  as  their  man,  belong- 
ing to  their  class  and  representing  their  interests. 

Dr.  Butler  was  a  man  of  some  culture,  and  a  lit- 
tle proud  and  overbearing  in  his  manners.  He  had 
acquired  what  those  poor  men  deemed  considerable 
property.  He  lived  in  a  framed  house,  and  in  his  best 
room  he  had  a  rug  or  carpet  spread  over  the  middle 
of  the  floor.  This  carpet  was  a  luxury  which  many 
of  the  pioneers  had  never  seen  or  conceived  of. 
The  Doctor,  standing  one  day  at  his  window,  saw 
several  persons,  whose  votes  he  desired,  passing 
along,  and  he  called  them  in  to  take  a  drink. 

There  was  a  table  in  the  centre  of  the  room,  with 
choice  liquors  upon  it.  The  carpet  beneath  the 
table  covered  only  a  small  portion  of  the  floor,  leav- 
ing on  each  side  a  vacant  space  around  the  room. 
The  men  cautiously  walked  around  this  space,  ^with- 
out daring  to  put  their  feet  upon  the  carpet.  After 
many  solicitations  from  Dr.  Butler,  and  seeing  him 
upon  the  carpet,  they  ventured  up  to  the  table  and 
drank.  They,  however,  were  under  great  restraint, 
and  soon  left,  manifestly  not  pleased  with  their 
reception. 

Calling  in  at  the  next  log  house  to  which  they 
came,  they  found  there  one  of  Crockett's  warm 


LIFE   ON  THE   OBION.  239 

friends.  They  inquired  of  him  what  kind  of  a  man 
the  great  bear-hunter  was,  and  received  in  reply  that 
he  was  a  first-rate  man,  one  of  the  best  hunters  in 
the  world ;  that  he  was  not  a  bit  proud  ;  that  he 
lived  in  a  log  cabin,  without  any  glass  for  his  win- 
dows, and  with  the  earth  alone  for  his  floor. 

"Ah!"  they  exclaimed  with  one  voice,  "he's 
the  fellow  for  us.  We'll  never  give  our  votes  for 
such  a  proud  man  as  Butler.  He  called  us  into  his 
house  to  take  a  drink,  and  spread  down  one  of  his 
best  bed-quilts  for  us  to  walk  on.  It  was  nothing 
but  a  piece  of  pride." 

The  day  of  election  came,  and  Crockett  was 
victorious  by  a  majority  of  two  hundred  and  forty- 
seven  votes.  Thus  he  found  himself  a  second  time 
a  member  of  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  Ten- 
nessee, and  with  a  celebrity  which  caused  all  eyes  to 
be  turned  toward  "  the  gentleman  from  the  cane." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Adventures  in  the  Forest,  on  the  River,  and 
in  the  City. 

The  Bear  Hunter's  Story.— Service  in  the  Legislature.— Candidate 
for  Congress. — Electioneering. — The  New  Speculation. — Disas- 
trous Voyage. — Narrow  Escape. — New  Electioneering  Exploits. 
—Odd  Speeches.— The  Visit  to  Crockett's  Cabin.— His  Politi- 
cal Views. — His  Honesty. — Opposition  to  Jackson. — Scene  at 
Raleigh. — Dines  with  the  President. — Gross  Caricature. — His 
Annoyance. 

CROCKETT  was  very  fond  of  hunting-adventures, 
and  told  stories  of  these  enterprises  in  a  racy  way, 
peculiarly  characteristic  of  the  man.  The  following 
narrative  from  his  own  lips,  the  reader  will  certainly 
peruse  with  much  interest. 

"  I  was  sitting  by  a  good  fire  in  my  little  cabin, 
on  a  cool  November  evening,  roasting  potatoes  I 
believe,  and  playing  with  my  children,  when  some 
one  halloed  at  the  fen.ce.  •  I  went  out,  and  there 
were  three  strangers,  who  said  they  come  to  take  an 
elk-hunt.  I  was  glad  to  see  'em,  invited  'em  in, 
and  after  supper  we  cleaned  our  guns.  I  took  down 
old  Betsey,  rubbed  her  up,  greased  her,  and  laid 


ADVENTURES— FOREST,   RIVER,   CITY.  241 

her  away  to  rest.  She  is  a  mighty  rough  old  piece, 
but  I  love  her,  for  she  and  I  have  seen  hard  times. 
She  mighty  seldom  tells  me  a  lie.  If  I  hold  her 
right,  she  always  sends  the  ball  where  I  tell  her. 
After  we  were  all  fixed,  I  told  'em  hunting-stories 
till  bedtime. 

"  Next  morning  was  clear  and  cold,  and  by  times 
I  sounded  my  horn,  and  my  dogs  came  howling 
'bout  me,  ready  for  a  chase.  Old  Rattler  was  a 
little  lame — a  bear  bit  him  in  the  shoulder;  but 
Soundwell,  Tiger,  and  the  rest  of  'em  were  all 
mighty  anxious.  We  got  a  bite,  and  saddled  our 
horses.  I  went  by  to  git  a  neighbor  to  drive  for  us, 
and  off  we  started  for  the  Harricane.  My  dogs 
looked  mighty  wolfish  ;  they  kept  jumping  on  one 
another  and  growling.  I  knew  they  were  run  mad 
for  a  fight,  for  they  hadn't  had  one  for  two  or  three 
days.  We  were  in  fine  spirits,  and  going  'long 
through  very  open  woods,  when  one  of  the  strangers 
said,  '  I  would  give  my  horse  now  to  see  a  bear.' 

"Said  I,  '  Well,  give  me  your  horse,'  and  I  point- 
ed to  an  old  bear,  about  three  or  four  hundred  yards 
ahead  of  us,  feeding  on  acorns. 

"  I  had  been  looking  at  him  some  time,  but  he  was 
so  far  off,  I  wasn't  certain  what  it  was.  However, 
I  hardly  spoke  before  we  all  strained  off,  and  the 
woods  fairly  echoed  as  we  harked  the  dogs  on.  The 


242  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

old  bear  didn't  want  to  run,  and  he  never  broke  till 
we  got  most  upon  him  ;  but  then  he  buckled  for 
it,  I  tell  you.  When  they  overhauled  him  he  just 
rared  up  on  his  hind  legs,  and  he  boxed  the  dogs 
'bout  at  a  mighty  rate.  He  hugged  old  Tiger  and 
another,  till  he  dropped  'em  nearly  lifeless  ;  but  the 
others  worried  him,  and  after  a  while  they  all  come 
to,  and  they  give  him  trouble.  They  are  mighty 
apt,  I  tell  you,  to  give  a  bear  trouble  before  they 
leave  him. 

"  'Twas  a  mighty  pretty  fight — 'twould  have  done 
any  one's  soul  good  to  see  it,  just  to  see  how  they 
all  rolled  about.  It  was  as  much  as  I  could  do 
to  keep  the  strangers  from  shooting  him  ;  but  I 
wouldn't  let  'em,  for  fear  they  would  kill  some  of 
my  dogs.  After  we  got  tired  seeing  'em  fight,  I 
went  in  among  'em,  and  the  first  time  they  got  him 
down  I  socked  my  knife  in  the  old  bear.  We  then 
hung  him  up,  and  went  on  to  take  our  elk-hunt. 
You  never  seed  fellows  so  delighted  as  them  stran- 
gers was.  Blow  me,  if  they  didn't  cut  more  capers, 
jumping  about,  than  the  old  bear.  'Twas  a  mighty 
pretty  fight,  but  I  believe  I  seed  more  fun  looking 
at  them  than  at  the  bear. 

"  By  the  time  we  got  to  the  Harricane,  we  were 
all  rested,  and  ripe  for  a  drive.  My  dogs  were  in  a 
better  humor,  for  the  fight  had  just  taken  off  the 


ADVENTURES— FOREST,   RIVER,   CITY.          243 

wiry  edge.  So  I  placed  the  strangers  at  the  stands 
through  which  I  thought  the  elk  would  pass,  sent 
the  driver  way  up  ahead,  and  I  went  down  below. 

"  Everything  was  quiet,  and  I  leaned  old  Betsey 
'gin  a  tree,  and  laid  down.  I  s'pose  I  had  been 
lying  there  nearly  an  hour,  when  I  heard  old  Tiger 
open.  He  opened  once  or  twice,  and  old  Rattler 
gave  a  long  howl ;  the  balance  joined  in,  and  I 
knew  the  elk  were  up.  I  jumped  up  and  seized  my 
rifle.  I  could  hear  nothing  but  one  continued  roar 
of  all  my  dogs,  coming  right  towards  me.  Though 
I  was  an  old  hunter,  the  music  made  my  hair  stand 
on  end.  Soon  after  they  first  started,  I  heard  one 
gun  go  off,  and  my  dogs  stopped,  but  not  long,  for 
they  took  a  little  tack  towards  where  I  had  placed 
the  strangers.  One  of  them  fired,  and  they  dashed 
back,  and  circled  round  way  to  my  left.  I  run  down 
'bout  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  and  I  heard  my  dogs  make 
a  bend  like  they  were  coming  to  me.  While  I  was 
listening,  I  heard  the  bushes  breaking  still  lower 
down,  and  started  to  run  there. 

"  As  I  was  going  'long,  I  seed  two  elks  burst  out 
of  the  Harricane  'bout  one  hundred  and  thirty  or 
forty  yards  below  me.  There  was  an  old  buck  and 
a  doe.  I  stopped,  waited  till  they  got  into  a  clear 
place,  and  as  the  old  fellow  made  a  leap,  I  raised 
old  Bet,  pulled  trigger,  and  she  spoke  out.  The 


244  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

smoke  blinded  me  so,  that  I  couldn't  see  what  I 
did  ;  but  as  it  cleared  away,  I  caught  a  glimpse  of 
only  one  of  them  going  through  the  bushes  ;  so  I 
thought  I  had  the  other.  I  went  up,  and  there  lay 
the  old  buck  kicking.  I  cut  his  throat,  and  by 
that  time,  Tiger  and  two  of  my  dogs  came  up.  I 
thought  it  singular  that  all  my  dogs  wasn't  there, 
and  I  began  to  think  they  had  killed  another. 
After  the  dogs  had  bit  him,  and  found  out  he  was 
dead,  old  Tiger  began  to  growl,  and.  curled  himself 
up  between  his  legs.  Everything  had  to  stand  off 
then,  for  he  wouldn't  let  the  devil  himself  touch 
him. 

"  I  started  off  to  look  for  the  strangers.  My 
two  dogs  followed  me.  After  gitting  away  a  piece, 
I  looked  back,  and  once  in  a  while  I  could  see  old 
Tiger  git  up  and  shake  the  elk,  to  see  if  he  was 
really  dead,  and  then  curl  up  between  his  legs  agin. 
I  found  the  strangers  round  a  doe  elk  the  driver  had 
killed  ;  and  one  of  'em  said  he  was  sure  he  had  killed 
one  lower  down.  I  asked  him  if  he  had  horns.  He 
said  he  didn't  see  any.  I  put  the  dogs  on  where  he 
said  he  had  shot,  and  they  didn't  go  fur  before  they 
came  to  a  halt.  I  went  up,  and  there  lay  a  fine 
buck  elk  ;  and  though  his  horns  were  four  or  five 
feet  long,  the  fellow  who  shot  him  was  so  scared 
that  he  never  saw  them.  We  had  three  elk,  and  a 


ADVENTURES— FOREST,   RIVER,   CITY.          24  $ 

bear ;  and  we  managed  to  git  it  home,  then  butch- 
ered our  game,  talked  over  our  hunt,  and  had  a  glori- 
ous frolic." 

Crockett  served  in  the  Legislature  for  two  years, 
during  which  time  nothing  occurred  of  special  inter- 
est. These  were  the  years  of  1823  and  1824.  Colo- 
nel Alexander  was  then  the  representative,  in  the  Na- 
tional Legislature,  of  the  district  in  which  Crockett 
lived.  He  had  offended  his  constituents  by  voting 
for  the  Tariff.  It  was  proposed  to  run  Crockett  for 
Congress  in  opposition  to  him.  Crockett  says  : 

"  I  told  the  people  that  I  could  not  stand  that. 
It  was  a  step  above  my  knowledge  ;  and  I  know'd 
nothing  about  Congress  matters." 

They  persisted ;  but  he  lost  the  election ;  for 
cotton  was  very  high,  and  Alexander  urged  that  it 
was  in  consequence  of  the  Tariff.  Two  years  passed 
away,  which  Crockett  spent  in  the  wildest  adven- 
tures of  hunting.  He  was  a  true  man  of  the  woods, 
with  no  ambition  for  any  better  home  than  the  log 
cabin  he  occupied.  There  was  no  excitement  so 
dear  to  him  as  the  pursuit  and  capture  of  a  grizzly 
bear.  There  is  nothing  on  record,  in  the  way  of 
hunting,  which  surpasses  the  exploits  of  this  renown- 
ed bear-hunter.  But  there  is  a  certain  degree  of 
sameness  in  these  narratives  of  skill  and  endurance 
which  would  weary  the  reader. 


243  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

In  the  fall  of  1825,  Crockett  built  two  large  flat- 
boats,  to  load  with  staves  for  the  making  of  casks, 
which  he  intended  to  take  down  the  river  to  market. 
He  employed  a  number  of  hands  in  building  the 
boat  and  splitting  out  the  staves,  and  engaged  him- 
self in  these  labors  "till  the  bears  got  fat."  He 
then  plunged  into  the  woods,  and  in  two  weeks 
killed  fifteen.  The  whole  winter  was  spent  in  hunt- 
ing with  his  son  and  his  dogs.  His  workmen  con- 
tinued busy  getting  the  staves,  and  when  the  rivers 
rose  with  the  spring  floods,  he  had  thirty  thousand 
ready  for  the  market. 

With  this  load  he  embarked  for  New  Orleans. 
His  boats  without  difficulty  floated  down  the  Obion 
into  the  majestic  Mississippi.  It  was  the  first  time 
he  had  seen  the  rush  of  these  mighty  waters. 
There  was  before  him  a  boat  voyage  of  nearly  fifteen 
hundred  miles,  through  regions  to  him  entirely  un- 
known. In  his  own  account  of  this  adventure  he 
writes : 

"  When  I  got  into  the  Mississippi  I  found  all 
my  hands  were  bad  scared.  In  fact,  I  believe  I  was 
scared  a  little  the  worst  of  any ;  for  I  had  never  been 
down  the  river,  and  I  soon  discovered  that  my  pilot 
was  as  ignorant  of  the  business  as  myself.  I  hadn't 
gone  far  before  I  determined  to  lash  the  two  boats 
together.  We  did  so ;  but  it  made  them  so  heavy 


ADVENTURES— FOREST,   RIVER,   CITY.         247 

and  obstinate  that  it  was  next  akin  to  impossible  to 
do  any  thing  at  all  with  them,  or  to  guide  them 
right  in  the  river. 

"  That  evening  we.  fell  in  company  with  some 
Ohio  boats,  and  about  night  we  tried  to  land,  but 
we  could  not.  The  Ohio  men  hollered  to  us  to  go 
on  and  run  all  night.  We  took  their  advice,  though 
we  had  a  good  deal  rather  not.  But  we  couldn't 
do  any  other  way.  In  a  short  distance  we  got  into 
what  is  called  the  Devil's  Elbow.  And  if  any  place 
in  the  wide  creation  has  its  own  proper  name  I 
thought  it  was  this.  Here  we  had  about  the  hard- 
est work  that  I  was  ever  engaged  in  in  my  life,  to 
keep  out  of  danger.  And  even  then  we  were  in  it 
all  the  while.  We  twice  attempted  to  land  at 
Wood  Yards,  which  we  could  see,  but  couldn't 
reach. 

"  The  people  would  run  out  with  lights,  and  try 
to  instruct  us  how  to  get  to  shore ;  but  all  in  vain. 
Our  boats  were  so  heavy  that  we  could  not  take 
them  .much  any  way  except  the  way  they  wanted  to 
go,  and  just  the  way  the  current  would  carry  them. 
At  last  we  quit  trying  to  land,  and  concluded  just 
to  go  ahead  as  well  as  we  could,  for  we  found  v 
couldn't  do  any  better. 

"  Some  time  in  the  night  I  was  down  in  the  cabi. 
of  one  of  the  boats,  sitting  by  the   fire,  thinking  o 


248  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

what  a  hobble  we  had  got  into ;  and  how  much 
better  bear-hunting  was  on  hard  land,  than  floating 
along  on  the  water,  when  a  fellow  had  to  go  ahead 
whether  he  was  exactly  willing  or  not.  The  hatch- 
way of  the  cabin  came  slap  down,  right  through  the 
top  of  the  boat ;  and  it  was  the  only  way  out,  except 
a  small  hole  in  the  side  which  we  had  used  for  put- 
ting our  arms  through  to  dip  up  water  before  we 
lashed  the  boats  together. 

"  We  were  now  floating  sideways,  and  the  boat  I 
was  in  was  the  hindmost  as  we  went.  All  at  once  I 
heard  the  hands  begin  to  run  over  the  top  of  the 
boat  in  great  confusion,  and  pull  with  all  their  might. 
And  the  first  thing  I  know'd  after  this  we  went 
broadside  full  tilt  against  the  head  of  an  island, 
where  a  large  raft  of  drift  timber  had  lodged.  The 
nature  of  such  a  place  would  be,  as  everybody  knows, 
to  suck  the  boats  down  and  turn  them  right  under 
this  raft ;  and  the  uppermost  boat  would,  of  course, 
be  suck'd  down  and  go  under  first.  As  soon  as  we 
struck,  I  bulged  for  my  hatchway,  as  the  boat  was 
turning  under  sure  enough.  But  when  I  got  to  it, 
the  water  was  pouring  through  in  a  current  as  large 
as  the  hole  would  let  it,  and  as  strong  as  the  weight 
of  the  river  would  force  it.  I  found  I  couldn't  get 
out  here,  for  the  boat  was  now  turned  down  in  such 
a  way  that  it  was  steeper  than  a  house-top.  I  now 


ADVENTURES—  FOJREST,   RIvER,   CITY.  24< 

thought  of  the  hole  in  the  side,  and  made  my  wa^ 
in  a  hurry  for  that. 

"  With  difficulty  I  got  to  it,  and  when  I  got  there, 
I  found  it  was  too  small  for  me  to  get  out  by  my 
own  power,  and  I  began  to  think  that  I  was  in  a 
worse  box  than  ever.  But  I  put  my  arms  through, 
and  hollered  as  loud  as  I  could  roar,  as  the  boat  I 
was  in  hadn't  yet  quite  filled  with  water  up  to  my 
head ;  and  the  hands  who  were  next  to  the  raft,  see- 
ing my  arms  out,  and  hearing  me  holler,  seized 
them,  and  began  to  pull.  I  told  them  I  was  sink- 
ing, and  to  pull  my  arms  off,  or  force  me  through,  for 
now  I  know'd  well  enough  it  was  neck  or  nothing, 
come  out  or  sink. 

"  By  a  violent  effort  they  jerked  me  through  ;  but 
I  was  in  a  pretty  pickle  when  I  got  through.  I  had 
been  sitting  without  any  clothing  over  my  shirt ; 
this  was  torn  off,  and  !•  was  literally  skinn'd  like  a 
rabbit.  I  was,  however,  well  pleased  to  get  out  in 
any  way,  even  without  shirt  or  hide ;  as  before  I 
could  straighten  myself  on  the  boat  next  to  the  raft, 
the  one  they  pull'd  me  out  of  went  entirely  under, 
and  I  have  never  seen  it  any  more  to  this  day.  We 
all  escaped  on  to  the  raft,  where  we  were  compelled 
to  sit  all  night,  about  a  mile  from  land  on  either  side. 
Four  of  my  company  were  bareheaded,  and  three 
barefooted  ;  and  of  that  number  I  was  one.  I  reckon 


250  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

I  looked  like  a  pretty  cracklin  ever  to  get  to  Con- 
gress ! 

"  We  had  now  lost  all  our  loading,  and  every  par- 
ticle of  our  clothing,  except  what  little  we  had  on  : 
but  over  all  this,  while  I  was  sitting  there,  in  the 
night,  floating  about  on  the  drift,  I  felt  happier  and 
better  off  than  I  ever  had  in  my  life  before,  for  I  had 
just  made  such  a  marvellous  escape,  that  I  had  for- 
got almost  everything  else  in  that ;  and  so  I  felt 
prime. 

"  In  the  morning  about  sunrise,  we  saw  a  boat 
coming  down,  and  we  hailed  her.  They  sent  a  large 
skiff,  and  took  us  all  on  board,  and  carried  us  down 
as  far  as  Memphis.  Here  I  met  with  a  friend,  that 
I  never  can  forget  as  long  as  I  am  able  to  go  ahead 
at  anything  ;  it  was  a  Major  Winchester,  a  merchant 
of  that  place ;  he  let  us  all  have  hats,  and  shoes,  and 
some  little  money  to  go  upon,  and  so  we  all  parted. 

"  A  young  man  and  myself  concluded  to  go  on 
down  to  Natchez,  to  see  if  we  could  hear  anything 
of  our  boats  ;  for  we  supposed  they  woVild  float  out 
from  the  raft,  and  keep  on  down  the  river.  We  got 
on  a  boat  at  Memphis,  that  was  going  down,  and  so 
cut  out.  Our  largest  boat,  we  were  informed,  had 
been  seen  about  fifty  miles  below  where  we  stove, 
and  an  attempt  had  been  made  to  land  her,  but 
without  success,  as  she  was  as  hard-headed  as  ever. 


ADVENTURES — FOREST,   RIVER,   CITY.         251 

"  This  was  the  last  of  my  boats,  and  of  my  boat- 
ing ;  for  it  went  so  badly  with  me  along  at  the  first, 
that  I  had  not  much  mind  to  try"  it  any  more.  I 
now  returned  home  again,  and,  as  the  next  August 
was  the  Congressional  election,  I  began  to  turn  my 
attention  a  little  to  that  matter,  as  it  was  beginning 
to  be  talked  of  a  good  deal  among  the  people." 

Cotton  was  down  very  low.  Crockett  could  now 
say  to  the  people :  "  You  see  the  effects  of  the 
Tariff."  There  were  two  rival  candidates  for  the 
office,  Colonel  Alexander  and  General  Arnold. 
Money  was  needed  to  carry  the  election,  and  Crock- 
ett had  no  money.  He  resolved,  however,  to  try 
his  chances.  A  friend  loaned  him  a  little  money  to 
start  with  ;  which  sum  Crockett,  of  course,  expended 
in  whiskey,  as  the  most  potent  influence,  then  and 
there,  to  secure  an  election. 

"  So  I  was  able,"  writes  Crockett,  "  to  buy  a 
little  of  the  '  creature,'  to  put.  my  friends  in  a  good 
humor,  as  well  as  the  other  gentlemen,  for  they  all 
treat  in  that  country ;  not  to  get  elected,  of  course, 
for  that  would  be  against  the  law,  but  just  to  make 
themselves  and  their  friends  feel  their  keeping  a 
little." 

The  contest  was,  as  usual,  made  up  of  drinking, 
feasting,  and  speeches.  Colonel  Alexander  was  an 
intelligent  and  worthy  man,  who  had  been  public 


252  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

surveyor.  General  Arnold  was  a  lawyer  of  very 
respectable  attainments'.  Neither  of  these  men 
considered  Crockett  a  candidate  in  the  slightest 
degree  to  be  feared.  They  only  feared  each  other, 
and  tried  to  circumvent  each  other. 

On  one  occasion  there  was  a  large  gathering, 
where  all  three  of  the  candidates  were  present,  and 
each  one  was  expected  to  make  a  speech.  It  came 
Crockett's  lot  to  speak  first.  He  knew  nothing  of 
Congressional  affairs,  arid  had  sense  enough  to  be 
aware  that  it  was  not  best  for  him  to  attempt  to 
speak  upon  subjects  of  which  he  was  entirely  igno- 
rant. He  made  one  of  his  funny  speeches,  very 
short  and  entirely  non-committal.  Colonel  Alex- 
ander followed,  endeavoring  to  grapple  with  the 
great  questions  of  tariffs,  finance,  and  internal  im- 
provements, which  were  then  agitating  the  nation.  - 

General  Arnold  then,  in  his  turn,  took  the 
stump,  opposing  the  measures  which  Colonel  Alex- 
ander had  left.  He  seemed  entirely  to  ignore  the 
fact  that  Crockett  was  a  candidate.  Not  the  slight- 
est allusion  was  made  to  him  in  his  speech.  The 
nervous  temperament  predominated  in  the  man, 
and  he  was  easily  annoyed.  While  speaking,  a 
large  flock  of  guinea-hens  came  along,  whose  pecu- 
liar and  noisy  cry  all  will  remember  who  have  ever 
heard  it.  Arnold  was  greatly  disturbed,  and  at 


ADVENTURES — FOREST,    RIVER,   CITY.  253 

last  requested  some  one  to  drive  the  fowls  away. 
As  soon  as  he  had  finished  his  speech,  Crockett 
again  mounted  the  stump,  and  ostensibly  address- 
ing Arnold,  but  really  addressing  the  crowd,  said, 
in  a  loud  voice,  but  very  jocosely  : 

"  Well,  General,  you  are  the  first  man  I  ever  saw 
that  understood  the  language  of  fowls.  You  had 
not  the  politeness  even  to  allude  to  me  in  your 
speech.  But  when  my  little  friends  the  guinea- 
hens  came  up,  and  began  to  holler  '  Crockett, 
Crockett,  Crockett,'  you  were  ungenerous  enough 
to  drive  them  all  away." 

This  raised  such  a  universal  laugh  that  even 
Crockett's  opponents  feared  that  he  was  getting 
the  best  of  them  in  winning  the  favor  of  the  people. 
When  the  day  of  election  came,  the  popular  bear- 
hunter  beat  both  of  his  competitors  by  twenty- 
seven  hundred  and  forty-seven  votes.  Thus  David 
Crockett,  unable  to  read  and  barely  able  to  sign  his 
name,  became  a  member  of  Congress,  to  assist  in 
framing  laws  for  the  grandest  republic  earth  has 
ever  known.  He  represented  a  constituency  of 
about  one  hundred  thousand  souls. 

An  intelligent  gentleman,  travelling  in  West 
Tennessee,  finding  himself  within  eight  miles  of 
Colonel  Crockett's  cabin,  decided  to  call  upon  the 
man  whose  name  had  now  become  quite  renowned. 


254  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

This  was  just  after  Crockett's  election  to  Congress, 
but  before  he  had  set  out  for  Washington.  There 
was  no  road  leading  to  the  lonely  hut.  He  fol- 
lowed a  rough  and  obstructed  path  or  trail,  which 
was  indicated  only  by  blazed  trees,  and  which  bore 
no  marks  of  being  often  travelled. 

At  length  he  came  to  a  small  opening  in  the 
forest,  very  rude  and  uninviting  in  its  appearance. 
It  embraced  eight  or  ten  acres.  One  of  the  hum- 
blest and  least  tasteful  of  log  huts  stood  in  the 
centre.  It  was  truly  a  cabin,  a  mere  shelter  from 
the  weather.  There  was  no  yard ;  there  were  no 
fences.  Not  the  slightest  effort  had  been  made 
toward  ornamentation.  It  would  be  difficult  to 
imagine  a  more  lonely  and  cheerless  abode. 

Two  men  were  seated  on  stools  at  the  door,  both 
in  their  shirt-sleeves,  engaged  in  cleaning  their 
rifles.  As  the  stranger  rode  up,  one  of  the  men 
rose  and  came  forward  to  meet  him.  He  was 
dressed  in  very  plain  homespun  attire,  with  a  black 
fur  cap  upon  his  head.  He  was  a  finely  propoi'- 
tioned  man,  about  six  feet  high,  apparently  forty- 
five  years  of  age,  and  of  very  frank,  pleasing,  open 
countenance.  He  held  his  rifle  in  his  hand,  and 
from  his  right  shoulder  hung  a  bag  made  of  raccoon- 
skin,  to  which  there  was  a  sheath  attached  contain- 
ine  a  lame  butcher-knife. 


ADVENTURES — FOREST,    RIVER,   CITY.  255 

"This  is  Colonel  Crockett's  residence,  I  pre- 
sume," said  the  stranger. 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reply,  with  a  smile  as  of  wel- 
come. 

"  Have  I  the  pleasure  of  seeing  that  gentleman 
before  me  ?  "  the  stranger  added. 

"  If  it  be  a  pleasure,"  was  the  courtly  reply, 
"  you  have,  sir." 

"Well,  Colonel,"  responded  the  stranger,  "  I  have 
ridden  much  'out  of  my  way  to  spend  a  day  or  two 
with  you,  and  take  a  hunt." 

"  Get  down,  sir,"  said  the  Colonel,  cordially.  "  I 
am  delighted  to  see  you.  I  like  to  see  strangers. 
And  the  only  care  I  have  is  that  I  cannot  accom- 
modate them  as  well  as  I  could  wish.  I  have  no 
corn,  but  my  little  boy  will  take  your  horse  over  to 
my  son-in-law's.  He  is  a  good  fellow,  and  will  take 
care  of  him." 

Leading  the  stranger  into  his  cabin,  Crockett 
very  courteously  introduced  him  to  his  brother,  his 
wife,  and  his  daughters.  He  then  added  : 

"  You  see  we  are  mighty  rough  here.  I  am 
afraid  you  will  think  it  hard  times.  But  we  have 
to  do  the  best  we  can.  I  started  mighty  poor,  and 
have  been  rooting  'long  ever  since.  But  I  hate  apol- 
ogies. What  I  live  upon  always,  I  think  a  friend 
can  for  a  day  or  two.  I  have  but  little ;  but  that 


256  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

little  is  as  free  as  the  water  that  runs.  So  make 
yourself  at  home." 

Mrs.  Crockett  was  an  intelligent  and  capable 
woman  for  one  in  her  station  in  life.  The  cabin 
was  clean  and  orderly,  and  presented  a  general 
aspect  of  comfort.  Many  trophies  of  the  chase  were 
in  the  house,  and  spread  around  the  yard.  Several 
dogs,  looking  like  war-worn  veterans,  were  sunning 
themselves  in  various  parts  of  the  premises. 

All  the  family  were  neatly  dressed  in  home- 
made garments.  Mrs.  Crockett  was  a  grave,  digni- 
fied woman,  very  courteous  to  her  guests.  The 
daughters  were  remarkably  pretty,  but  very  diffi- 
dent. Though  entirely  uneducated,  they  could  con- 
verse very  easily,  seeming  to  inherit  their  father's 
fluency  of  utterance.  They  were  active  and  efficient 
in  aiding  their  mother  in  her  household  work 
Colonel  Crockett,  with  much  apparent  pleasure, 
conducted  his  guest  over  the  small  patch  of  ground 
he  had  grubbed  and  was  cultivating.  He  exhibited 
his  growing  peas  and  pumpkins,  and  his  little  field 
of  corn,  with  as  much  apparent  pleasure  as  an  Illinois 
farmer  would  now  point  out  his  hundreds  of  acres 
of  waving  grain.  The  hunter  seemed  surprisingly 
well  informed.  As  we  have  mentioned,  nature  had 
endowed  him  with  unusual  strength  of  mind,  and 
with  a  memory  which  was  almost  miraculous.  He 


ADVENTURES — FOREST,    RIVER,   CITY.  257 

never  forgot  anything  he  had  heard.  His  election- 
eering tours  had  been  to  him  very  valuable  schools 
of  education.  Carefully  he  listened  to  all  the 
speeches  and  the  conversation  of  the  intelligent 
men  he  met  with. 

John  Quincy  Adams  was  then  in  the  Presidential 
chair.  It  was  the  year  1827.  Nearly  all  Crockett's 
constituents  were  strong  Jackson-men.  Crockett, 
who  afterward  opposed  Jackson,  subsequently  said, 
speaking  of  his  views  at  that  time  : 

"  I  can  say  on  my  conscience,  that  I  was,  with- 
out disguise,  the  friend  and  supporter  of  General 
Jackson  upon  "his  principles,  as  he  had  laid  them 
down,  and  as  I  understood  them,  before  his  elec- 
tion as  President." 

Alluding  to  Crockett's  political  views  at  that 
time,  his  guest  writes,  "  I  held  in  high  estimation 
the  present  Administration  of  our  country.  To  this 
he  was  opposed.  His  views',  however,  delighted  me. 
And  were  they  more  generally  adopted  we  should 
be  none  the  loser.  He  was  opposed  to  the  Admin- 
istration, and  yet  conceded  that  many  of  its  acts 
were  wise  and  efficient,  and  would  have  received 
his  cordial  support.  He  admired  Mr.  Clay,  but  had 
objections  to  him.  He  was  opposed  to  the  Tariff, 
yet,  I  think,  a  supporter  of  the  United  States  Bank. 
He  seemed  to  have  the  most  horrible  objection 


258  DAVID  CROCKETT. 

to  binding  himself  to  any  man  or  set  of  men.  He 
said,  '  I  would  aslieve  be  an  old  'coon-dog  as  obliged 
to  do  what  any  man  or  set  of  men  would  tell  me 
to  do.  I  will  support  the  present  Administration 
as  far  as  I  would  any  other  ;  that  is,  as  far  as  I 
believe  its  views  to  be  right.  I  will  pledge  myself  to 
support  no  Administration.  I  had  rather  be  polit- 
ically damned  than  hypocritically  immortalized.'  " 

In  the  winter  of '1827,  Crockett  emerged  from 
his  cabin  in  the  wilderness  for  a  seat  in  Congress. 
He  was  so  poor  that  he  had  not  money  enough  to 
pay  his  expenses  to  Washington.  His  election  had 
cost  him  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  which  a 
friend  had  loaned  him.  The  same  'friend  advanced 
one  hundred "  dollars  more  to  help  him  on  his 
journey. 

"  When  I  left  home,"  he  says,  "  I  was  happy, 
devilish,  and  fulj  of  fun.  I  bade  adieu  to  my 
friends,  dogs,  and  rifle, -and  took  the  stage,  where 
I  met  with  much  variety  of  character,  and  amused 
myself  when  my  humor  prompted.  Being  fresh 
from  the  backwoods,  my  stories  amused  my  com- 
panions, and  I  passed  my  time  pleasantly. 

"  When  I  arrived  at  Raleigh  the  weather  was 
cold  and  rainy,  and  we  were  all  dull  and  tired. 
Upon  going  into  the  tavern,  where  I  was  an  entire 
stranger,  the  room  was  crowded,  and  the  crowd 


ADVENTURES — FOREST,    RIVER,   CITY.  259 

did  not  give  way  that  I  might  come  to  the  fire.  I 
was  rooting  my  way  to  the  fire,  not  in  a  good 
humor,  when  some  fellow  staggered  up  towards  me, 
and  cried  out,  '  Hurrah  for  Adams.' 

"  Said  I,  '  Stranger,  you  had  better  hurrah  for 
hell,  and  praise  your  own  country.' 

"  '  And  who  are  you  ?     said  he.     I  replied  : 

" '  I  am  that  same  David  Crockett,  fresh  from 
the  backwoods,  half  horse,  half  alligator,  a  little 
touched  with  the  snapping-turtle.  *  I  can  wade  the 
Mississippi,  leap  the  Ohio,  ride  upon  a  streak  of 
lightning,  and  slip  without  a  scratch  down  a  honey- 
locust.  I  can  whip  my  weight  in  wildcats,  and, 
if  any  gentleman  pleases,  for  a  ten-dollar  bill  he 
can  throw  in  a  panther.  I  can  hug  a  bear  too  close 
for  comfort,  and  eat  any  man  opposed  to  General 
Jackson.'  " 

All  eyes  were  immediately  turned  toward  this 
strange  man,  for  all  had  heard  of  him.  A  place  was 
promptly  made  for  him  at  the  fire.  He  was  after- 
ward asked  if  this  wondrous  outburst  of  slang  was 
entirely  unpremeditated.  He  said  that  it  was ; 
that  it  had  all  popped  into  his  head  at  once  ;  and 
that  he  should  never  have  thought  of  it  again, 
had  not  the  story  gone  the  round  of  the  news- 
papers. 

"  I    came   on   to  Washington,"    he  says,    "  and 


260  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

drawed  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  and  pur- 
chased with  it  a  chec"k  on  the  bank  in  Nashville, 
and  enclosed  it  to  my  friend.  And  I  may  say,  in 
truth,  I  sent  this  money  with  a  mighty  good  will; 
for  I  reckon  nobody  in  this  world  loves  a  friend 
better  than  me,  or  remembers  a  kindness  longer." 

Soon  after  his  arrival  at  Washington  he  was 
invited  to  dine  with  President  Adams,  a  man  of 
the  highest  culture,  whose  manners  had  been 
formed  in  the  courts  of  Europe.  Crockett,  totally 
unacquainted  with  the  usages  of  society,  did  not 
know  what  the  note  of  invitation  meant,  and 
inquired  of  a  friend,  the  Hon.  Mr.  Verplanck. 
He  says : 

"  I  was  wild  from  the  backwoods,  and  didn't 
know  nothing  about  eating  dinner  with  the  big 
folks  of  our  country.  And  how  should  I,  having 
been  a  hunter  all  my  life?  I  had  eat  most  of  my 
dinners  on  a  log  in  the  woods,  and  sometimes  no 
dinner  at  all.  I  knew,  whether  I  ate  dinner  with 
the  President  or  not  was  a  matter  of  no  importance, 
for  my  constituents  were  not  to  be  benefited  by  it. 
I  did  not  go  to  court  the  President,  for  I  was 
opposed  to  him  in  principle,  and  had  no  favors  to 
ask  at  his  hands.  I  was  afraid,  however,  I  should 
be  awkward,  as  I  was  so  entirely  a  stranger  to 
fashion  ;  and  in  going  along,  I  resolved  to  observe 


ADVENTURES — FOREST,    RIVER,   CITY.  261 

the  conduct  of  my  friend  Mr.  Verplanck,  and  to  do 
as  he  did.  And  I  know  that  I  did  behave  myself 
right  well." 

Some  cruel  wag  wrote  the  following  ludicrous 
account  of  this  dinner-party,  which  went  the  round 
of  all  the  papers  as  veritable  history.  The  writer  pre- 
tended to  quote'Crockett's  own  account  of  the  dinner. 

"  The  first  thing  I  did,"  said  Davy,  "  after  I  got 
to  -Washington,  was  to  go  to  the  President's.  I 
stepped  into  the  President's  house.  Thinks  I,  who's 
afeard.  If  I  didn't,  I  wish  I  may  be  shot.  Says  I, 
'  Mr.  Adams,  I  am  Mr.  Crockett,  from  Tennessee.' 
So,  says  he,  '  How  d'ye  do,  Mr.  Crockett  ? '  And 
he  shook  me  by  the  hand,  although  he  know'd  I 
went  the  whole  hog  for  Jackson.  If  he  didn't,  I 
wish  I  may  be  shot. 

"  Not  only  that,  but  he  sent  me  a  printed  ticket 
to  dine  with  him.  I've  got  it  in  my  pocket  yet.  I 
went  to  dinner,  and  I  walked  all  around  the  long 
table,  looking  for  something  that  I  liked.  At  last 
I  took  my  seat  beside  a  fat  goose,  and  I  helped 
myself  to  as  much  of  it  as  I  wanted.  But  I  hadn't 
took  three  bites,  when  I  looked  away  up  the  table 
at  a  man  they  called  Task  (attache).  He  was  talk- 
ing French  to  a  woman  on  t'other  side  of  the  table. 
He  dodged  his  head  and  she  dodged  hers,  and  then 
they  got  to  drinking  wine  across  the  table. 


262  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

"  But  when  I  looked  back  again  my  plate  .was 
gone,  goose  and  all.  So  I  jist  cast  my  eyes  down  to 
t'other  end  of  the  table,  and  sure  enough  I  seed 
a  white  man  walking  off  with  my  plate.  I  says, 
'  Hello,  mister,  bring  back  my  plate.'  He  fetched 
it  back  in  a  hurry,  as  you  may  think.  And  when  he 
set  it  down  before  me,  how  do  you  think  it  was  ? 
Licked  as  clean  as  my  hand.  If  it  wasn't,  I  wish  I 
may  be  shot  ! 

"  Says  he, '  What  will  you  have,  sir  ? '  And  says 
I,  '  You  may  well  say  that,  after  stealing  my  goose.' 
And  he  began  to  laugh.  Then  says  I,  '  Mister, 
laugh  if  you  please  ;  but  I  don't  half-like  sich  tricks 
upon  travellers.'  I  then  filled  my  plate  with  bacon 
and  greens.  And  whenever  I  looked  up  or  down 
the  table,  I  held  on  to  my  plate  with  my  left 
hand. 

"  When  we  were  all  done  eating,  they  cleared 
everything  off  the  table,  and  took  away  the  table- 
cloth. And  what  do  you  think  ?  There  was  another 
cloth  under  it.  If  there  wasn't,  I  wish  I  may  be  shot ! 
Then  I  saw  a  man  coming  along  carrying  a  great 
glass  thing,  with  a  glass  handle  below,  something 
like  a  candlestick.  It  was  stuck  full  of  little  glass 
cups,  with  something  in  them  that  looked  good  to 
eat.  Says  I,  '  Mister,  bring  that  thing  here.' 
Thinks  I,  let's  taste  them  first.  They  were  mighty 


ADVENTURES — FOREST,   RIVER,   CITY.  263 

sweet  and  good,  so  I  took  six  of  them.  If  I  didn't, 
I  wish  I  may  be  shot !  " 

This  humorous  fabrication  was  copied  into 
almost  every  paper  in  the  Union.  The  more  re- 
spectable portion  of  Crockett's  constituents 'were  so 
annoyed  that  their  representative  should  be  thus 
held  up  to  the  contempt  of  the  nation,  that  Crockett 
foit  constrained  to  present  a  reliable  refutation  of 
the  story.  He  therefore  obtained  and  published 
certificates  from  three  gentlemen,  testifying  to  his 
good  behavior  at  the  table.  Hon.  Mr.  Verplanck, 
of  New  York,  testified  as  follows  : 

"  I  dined  at  the  President's,  at  the  time  alluded 
to,  in  company  with  you,  and  I  had,  I  recollect,  a 
good  deal  of  conversation  with  you.  Your  behavior 
there  was,  I  thought,  perfectly  becoming  and  proper. 
And  I  do  not  recollect,  or  believe,  that  you  said  or 
did  anything  resembling  the  newspaper  account." 

Two  other  members  of  Congress  were  equally 
explicit  in  their  testimony. 

During  Crockett's  first  two  sessions  in  Congress 
he  got  along  very  smoothly,  cooperating  generally 
with  what  was  called  the  Jackson  party.  In  1829 
he  was  again  reflected  by  an  overwhelming  major- 
ity. On  the  4th  of  March  of  this  year,  Andrew  Jack- 
son was  inaugurated  President  of  the  United  States. 
It  may  be  doubted  whether  there  ever  was  a  more 


264  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

honest,  conscientious  man  in  Congress  than  David 
Crockett.  His  celebrated  motto,  "  Be  sure  that  you 
are  right,  and  then  go  ahead,"  seemed  ever  to  ani- 
mate him.  He  could  neither  be  menaced  or  bribed 
to  support  any  measure  which  he  thought  to  be 
wrong.  Ere  long  he  found  it  necessary  to  oppose 
some  of  Jackson's  measures.  We  will  let  him  tell 
the  story  in  his  own  truthful  words : 

"  Soon  after  the  commencement  of  this  second 
term,  I  saw,  or  thought  I  did,  that  it  was  expected 
of  me  that  I  would  bow  to  the  name  of  Andrew 
Jackson,  and  follow  him  in  all  his  motions,  and  wind- 
ings, and  turnings,  even  at  the  expense  of  my  con- 
science and  judgment.  Such  a  thing  was  new  to  me, 
and  a  total  stranger  to  my  principles.  I  know'd 
well  enough,  though,  that  if  I  didn't  '  hurrah '  for 
his  name,  the  hue  and  cry  was  to  be  raised  against 
me,  and  I  was  to'  be  sacrificed,  if  possible.  His 
famous,  or  rather  I  should  say  his  infamous  Indian 
bill  was  brought  forward,  and  I  opposed  it  from  the 
purest  motives  in  the  world.  Several  of  my  col- 
leagues got  around  me,  and  told  me  how  well  they 
loved  me,  and  that  I  was  ruining  myself.  They  said 
this  was  a  favorite  measure  of  the  President,  and  I 
ought  to  go  for  it.  I  told  them  I  believed  it  was  a 
wicked,  unjust  measure,  and  that  I  should  go  against 
it,  let  the  cost  to  myself  be  what  it  might  ;  that  I 


ADVENTURES— FOREST,    RIVER,   CITY.  265 

was  willing  to  go  with  General  Jackson  in  everything 
that  I  believed  was  honest  and  right ;  but,  further 
than  this,  I  wouldn't  go  for  him,  or  any  other  man  in 
the  whole  creation. 

"  I  had  been  elected  by  a  majority  of  three  thou- 
sand five  hundred  and  eighty-five  votes,  and  I  be- 
lieved they  were  honest  men,  and  wouldn't  want 
me  to  vote  for  any  unjust  notion,  to  please  Jackson 
or  any  one  else  ;  at  any  rate,  I  was  of  age,  and 
determined  to  trust  them.  I  voted  against  this 
Indian  bill,  and  my  conscience  yet  tells  me  that  I 
gave  a  good,  honest  vote,  and  one  that  I  believe  will 
not  make  me  ashamed  in  the  day  of  judgment.  I 
served  out  my  term,  and  though  many  amusing, 
things  happened,  I  am  not  disposed  to  swell  my 
narrative  by  inserting  them. 

"When  it  closed,  and 'I  returned  home,  I  found 
the  storm  had  raised  against  me  sure  enough  ;  and  it 
was  echoed  from  side  to  side,  and  from  end  to  end  of 
my  district,  that  I  had  turned  against  Jackson.  This 
was  considered  the  unpardonable  sin.  I  was  hunted 
down  like  a  wild  varment,  and  in  this  hunt  every 
little  newspaper  in  the  district,  and  every  little  pin- 
hook  lawyer  was  engaged.  Indeed,  they  were  ready 
to  print  anything  and  everything  that  the  ingenu 
ity  of  man  could  invent  against  me." 

In  consequence  of  this  opposition,  Crockett  lost 

-  _ 


266  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

his  next  election,  and  yet  by  a  majority  of  but  sev- 
enty votes.  For  two  years  he  remained  at  home 
hunting  bears.  But  having  once  tasted  the  pleas- 
ures of  political  life,  and  the  excitements  of  Wash- 
ington, his  silent  rambles  in  the  woods  had  lost 
much  of  their  ancient  charms.  He  was  again  a  can- 
didate at  the  ensuing  election,  and,  after  a  very 
warm  contest,  gained  the  day  by  a  majority  of  two 
hundred  and  two  votes. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Crockett's  Tour  to  the  North  and  the  East. 

His  Reelection  to  Congress. — The  Northern  Tour. — First  Sight  of  a 
Railroad. — Reception  in  Philadelphia. — His  First  Speech. — Ar- 
rival in  New  York. — The  Ovation  there. — Visit  to  Boston. — Cam- 
bridge and  Lowell. — Specimens  of  his  Speeches. — Expansion  of 
his  Ideas. — Rapid  Improvement. 

COLONEL  CROCKETT,  having  been  reflected, 
again  repaired  to  Washington.  During  the  session, 
to  complete  his  education,  and  the  better  to  prepare 
himself  as  a  legislator  for  the  whole  nation,  he  decided 
to  take  a  short  trip  to  the  North  and  the  East. 
His  health  had  also  begun  to  fail,  and  his  physicians 
advised  him  to  go.  He  was  thoroughly  acquainted 
with  the  Great  West.  With  his  rifle  upon  his  shoul- 
der, in  the  Creek  War,  he  had  made  wide  explora- 
tions through  the  South.  But  the  North  and  the 
East  were  regions  as  yet  unknown  to  him. 

On  the  25th  of  April,  1834,  he  left  Washington 
for  this  Northern  tour.  He  reached  Baltimore  that 
evening,  where  he  was  invited  to  a  supper  by  some 
of  the  leading  gentlemen.  He  writes: 

"  Early  next  morning,  I  started  for  Philadelphia, 


268  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

a  place  where  I  had  never  been.  I  sort  of  felt  lone- 
some as  I  went  down  to  the  steamboat.  The  idea 
of  going  among  a  new  people,  where  there  are  tens 
of  thousands  who  would  pass  me  by  without  know- 
ing or  caring  who  I  was,  who  are  all  taken  up  with 
their  own  pleasures  or  their  own  business,  made  me 
feel  small ;  and,  indeed,  if  any  one  who  reads  this 
book  has  a  grand  idea  of  his  own  importance,  let 
him  go  to  a  big  city,  and  he  will  find  that  he  is  not 
higher  valued  than  a  coonskin. 

"  The  steamboat  was  .the  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  a 
fine  craft,  with  the  rum  old  Commodore  Chaytor  for 
head  man.  A  good  fellow  he  is — all  sorts  of  a  man 
— bowing  and  scraping  to  the  ladies,  nodding  to 
the  gentlemen,  cursing  the  crew,  and  his  right  eye 
broad-cast  upon  the  '  opposition  line/  all  at  the 
same  time.  '  Let  go  ! '  said  the  old  one,  and  off  we 
walked  in  prime  style. 

"  Our  passage  down  Chesapeake  Bay  was  very 
pleasant.  In  a  very  short  run  we  came  to  a  place 
where  we  were  to  get  on  board  the  rail-cars.  This 
was  a  clean  new  sight  to  me.  About  a  dozen  big 
stages  hung  on  to  one  machine.  After  a  good 
deal  of  fuss  we  all  got  seated  and  moved  slowly 
off,  the  engine  wheezing  as  though  she  had  the 
tizzic.  By-and-by,  she  began  to  take  short  breaths, 
and  away  we  went,  with  a  blue  streak  after  us.  The 


TOUR  NORTH   AND   EAST.  269 

whole  distance  is  seventeen  miles.  It  was  run  in 
fifty-five  minutes. 

"  At  Delaware  City,  I  again  embarked  on  board 
of  a  splendid  steamboat.  When  dinner  was  ready, 
I  set  down  with  the  rest  of  the  passengers.  Among 
them  was  Rev.  O.  B.  Brown,  of  the  Post-Office  De- 
partment, who  sat  near  me.  During  dinner  he 
ordered  a  bottle  of  wine,  and  called  upon  me  for  a 
toast.  Not  knowing  whether  he  intended  to  com- 
pliment me,  or  abash  me  among  so  many  strangers, 
or  have  some  fun  at  my  expense,  I  concluded  to  go 
ahead,  and  give  him  and  his  like  a  blizzard.  So  our 
glasses  being  filled,  the  word  went  round,  '  A  toast 
from  Colonel  Crockett.'  I  give  it  as  follows: 
'  Here's  wishing  the  bones  of  tyrant  kings  may 
answer  in  hell;  in  place  of  gridirons,  to  roast  the 
souls  of  Tories  on.'  At  this  the  parson  appeared 
as  if  he  was  stumpt.  I  said,  '  Never  heed ;  it  was 
meant  for  where  it  belonged.'  He  did  not  repeat 
his  invitation,  and  I  eat  my  dinner  quietly. 

"  After  dinner  I  went  up  on  the  deck,  and  saw 
the  captain  hoisting  three  flags.  Says  I, 'What 
does  that  mean  ?  '  He  replied,  that  he  was  under 
promise  to  the  citizens  of  Philadelphia,  if  I  was  on 
board,  to  hoist  his  flags,  as  a  friend  of  mine  had  said 
he  expected  I  would  be  along  soon. 

"We  went  on  till  we  came  in  sight  of  the  city 


2/O  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

and  as  we  advanced  towards  the  wharf,  I  saw  the 
whole  face  of  the  earth  covered  with  people,  all  anx- 
iously looking  on  towards  the  boat.  The  captain 
and  myself  were  standing  on  the  bow-deck ;  he 
pointed  his  finger  at  me,  arid  people  slung  their  hats, 
and  huzzaed  for  Colonel  Crockett.  It  struck  me 
with  astonishment  to  hear  a  strange  people  huzza- 
ing for  me,  and  made  me  feel  sort  of  queer.  It  took 
me  so  uncommon  unexpected,  as  I  had  no  idea  of 
attracting  attention.  But  I  had  to  meet  it,  and  so 
I  stepped  on  to  the  wharf,  where  the  folks  came 
crowding  around  me,  saying,  '  Give  me  the  hand  of 
an  honest  man.'  I  did  not  know  what  all  this 
meant :  but  some  gentleman  took  hold  of  me,  and 
pressing  through  the  crowd,  put  me  into  an  elegant 
barouche,  drawn  by  four  fine  horses  ;  they  then  told 
me  to  bow  to  the  people  :  I  did  so,  and  with  much 
difficulty  we  moved  off.  The  streets  were  crowded 
to  a  great  distance,  and  the  windows  full  of  peo'ple, 
looking  out,  I  suppose,  to  see  the  wild  man.  I 
thought  I  had  rather  be  in  the  wilderness  with  my 
gun  and  dogs,  than  to  be  attracting  all  that  fuss.  I 
had  never  seen  the  like  before,  and  did  not  know 
exactly  what  to  say  or  do.  After  some  time  we 
reached  the  United  States  Hotel,  in  Chesnut 
Street. 

"  The    crowd    had   followed    m&    filling   up  the 


TOUR   NORTH   AND   EAST.  2/1 

street,  and  pressing  into  the  house  to  shake  hands. 
I  was  conducted  up  stairs,  and  walked  out  on  a 
platform,  drew  off  my  hat,  and  bowed  round  to  the 
people.  They  cried  out  from  all  quarters, '  A  speech, 
a  speech,  Colonel  Crockett.' 

"  After  the  noise  had  quit,  so  I  could  be  heard,  I 
said  to  them  the  following  words: 

"'GENTLEMEN    OF   PHILADELPHIA: 

"  '  My  visit  to  your  city  is  rather  accidental.  I 
had  no  expectation  of  attracting  any  uncommon 
attention.  I  am  travelling  for  my  health,  without 
the  least  wish  of  exciting  the  people  in  such  times 
of  high  political  feeling.  I  do  not  wish  to  encourage 
it.  I  am  unable  at  this  time  to  find  language  suit- 
able to  return  my  gratitude  to  the  citizens  of  Phila- 
delphia. However,  I  am  almost  induced  to  believe 
it  flattery — perhaps  a  burlesque.  This  is  new  to  me, 
yet  I  see  nothing  but  friendship  in  your  faces  ;  and 
if  your  curiosity  is  to  hear  the  backwoodsman,  I  will 
assure  you  I  am  illy  prepared  to  address  this  most 
enlightened  people.  However,  gentlemen,  if  this  is 
a  curiosity  to  you,  if  you  will  meet  me  to-morrow, 
at  one  o'clock,  I  will  endeavor  to  address  you,  in  my 
plain  manner.' 

"  So  I  made  my  obeisance  to  them,  and  retired 
into  the  house." 


2/2  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

It  is  true  that  there  was  much  of  mere  curios- 
ity in  the  desire  to  see  Colonel  Crockett.  He  was  a 
strange  and  an  incomprehensible  man.  His  manly, 
honest  course  in  Congress  had  secured  much  respect. 
But  such  developments  of  character  as  were  shown  in 
his  rude  and  vulgar  toast,  before  a  party  of  gentle- 
men and  ladies,  excited  astonishment.  His  noto- 
riety .preceded  him,  wherever  he  went ;  and  all  were 
alike  curious  to  see  so  strange  a  specimen  of  a  man. 

The  next  morning,  several  gentlemen  called 
upon  him,  and  took  him  in  a  carriage  to  see  the 
various  objects  of  interest  in  the  city.  The  gentle- 
men made  him  a  present  of  a  rich  seal,  represent- 
ing two  horses  at  full  speed,  with  the  words,  "  Go 
Ahead."  The  young  men  also  made  him  a  present 
of  a  truly  magnificent  rifle.  From  Philadelphia  he 
went  to  New  York.  The  shipping  astonished  him. 
"  They  beat  me  all  hollow,"  he  says,  "  and  looked 
for  all  the  world  like  a  big  clearing  in  the  West, 
with  the  dead  trees  all  standing." 

There  was  a  great  crowd  upon  the  wharf  to 
greet  him.  And  when  the  captain  of  the  boat  led 
him  conspicuously  forward,  and  pointed  him  out  to 
the  multitude,  the  cheering  was  tremendous.  A 
committee  conducted  him  to  the  American  Hotel, 
and  treated  him  with  the  greatest  distinction. 
Again  he  was  feted,  and  loaded  with  the  greatest 


TOUR  NORTH  AND   EAST.  273 

attentions.  He  was  invited  to  a  very  splendid  sup- 
per, got  up  in  his  honor,  at  which  there  were  a 
hundred  guests.  The  Hon.  Judge  Clayton,  of 
Georgia,  was  present,  and  make  a  speech  which,  as 
Crockett  says,  fairly  made  the  tumblers  hop. 

Crockett  was  then  called  up,  as  the  "  undeviat- 
ing  supporter  of  the  Constitution  and  the  laws." 
In  response  to  this  toast,  he  says, 

"  I  made  a  short  speech,  and  concluded  writh  the 
story  of  the  red  cow,  which  was,  that  as  long  as 
General  Jackson  went  straight,  I  followed  him  ;  but 
when  he  began  to  go  this  way,  and  that  way,  and 
every  way,  I  wouldn't  go  after  him  ;  like  the  boy 
whose  master  ordered  him  to  plough  across  the 
field  to  the  red  cow.  Well,  he  began  to  plough,  and 
she  began  to  walk;  and  he  ploughed  all  forenoon 
after  her.  So  when  the  master  came,  he  swore  at 
him  for  going  so  crooked.  '  Why,  sir,'  said  the  boy, 
'  you  told  me  to  plough  to  the  red  cow,  and  I  kept 
after  her,  but  she  always  kept  moving.'  " 

His  trip  to  New  York  was  concluded  by  his  vis- 
iting Jersey  City  to  witness  a  shooting-match  with 
rifles.  He  was  invited  to  try  his  hand.  Standing, 
at  the  distance  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet,  he 
fired  twice,  striking  very  near  the  centre  of  the  mark. 
Some  one  then  put  up  a  quarter  of  a  dollar  in  the 
midst  of  a  black  spot,  and  requested  him  to  shoot  at 


2/4  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

it.  The  bullet  struck  the  coin,  and,  as  Crockett  says, 
"  made  slight-of-hand  work  with  it." 

From  New  York  he  went  to  Boston.  There,  as 
the  opponent  of  some  of  President  Jackson's  meas- 
ures which  were  most  offensive  to  the  New  England 
people,  he  was  feted  with  extraordinary  enthusiasm. 
He  dined  and  supped,  made  speeches,  which  gen- 
erally consisted  of  but  one  short  anecdote,  and  vis- 
ited nearly  all  the  public  institutions. 

Just  before  this,  Andrew  Jackson  had  received 
from  Harvard  University  the  honorary  title  of  LL.D. 
Jackson  was  no  longer  a  favorite  of  Crockett.  The 
new  distinguished  guest,  the  renowned  bear-hunter, 
was  in  his  turn  invited  to  visit  Harvard.  He 
writes  : 

"There  were  some  gentlemen  that  invited  me  to 
go  to  Cambridge,  where  the  big  college  or  univer- 
sity is,  where  they  keep  ready-made  titles  or  nick- 
names to  give  people.  I  would  not  go,  for  I  did 
not  know  but  they  might  stick  an  LL.D.  on  me 
before  they  let  me  go ;  and  I  had  no  idea  of  chang- 
ing f  Member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of 
the  United  States/  for  what  stands  for  '  lazy,  loung- 
ing dunce/  which  I  am  sure  my  constituents  would 
have  translated  my  new  title  to  be.  Knowing  that 
I  had  never  taken  any  degree,  and  did  not  own  to 
any — except  a  small  degree  of  good  sense  not  to  pass 


TOUR  NORTH  AND   EAST.  2/5 

for  what  I  was  not — I  would  not  go  it.  There  had 
been  one  doctor  made  from  Tennessee  already,  and 
I  had  no  wish  to  put  on  the  cap  and  bells. 

"  I  told  them  that  I  did  not  go  to  this  branding 
school ;  I  did  not  want  to  be  tarred  with  the  same 
stick  ;  one  dignitary  was  enough  from  Tennessee  ; 
that  as  far  as  my  learning  went,  I  would  stand  over 
it,  and  spell  a  strive  or  two  with  any  of  them,  from 
a-b-ab  to  crucifix,  which  was  where  I  left  off  at 
school." 

A  gentleman,  at  a  dinner-party,  very  earnestly 
invited  Crockett  to  visit  him.  He  returned  the 
compliment  by  saying : 

"  If  you  ever  come  to  my  part  of  the  country,  I 
hope  you  will  call  and  see  me." 

"And  how  shall  I  find  where  you  live?"  the 
gentleman  inquired. 

"  Why,  sir,"  Crockett  answered,  "  run  down  the 
Mississippi  till  you  come  to  the  Obion  River.  Run 
a  small  streak  up  that ;  jump 'ashore  anywhere,  and 
inquire  for  me." 

From  Boston,  he  went  to  Lowell.  The  hospi- 
tality he  had  enjoyed  in  Boston  won  his  warmest 
commendation.  At  Lowell,  he  was  quite  charmed 
by  the  aspect  of  wealth,  industry,  and  comfort' 
which  met  his  eye.  Upon  his  return  to  Boston,  he 
spent  the  evening,  with  several  gentlemen  and  ladies, 


2/6  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

at  the  pleasant  residence  of  Lieutenant-Governor 
Armstrong.  In  reference  to  this  visit,  he  writes  : 

"  This  was  my  last  night  in  Boston,  and  I  am 
sure,  if  I  never  see  the  place  again,  I  never  can  for- 
get the  kind  and  friendly  manner  in  which  I  was 
treated  by  them.  It  appeared  to  me  that  everybody 
was  anxious  to  serve  me,  and  make  my  time  agree- 
able. And  as  a  proof  that  comes  home — when  I 
called  for  my  bill  next  morning,  I  was  told  there  was 
no  charge  to  be  paid  by  me,  and  that  he  was  very 
much  delighted  that  I  had  made  his  house  my  home. 
I  forgot  to  mention  that  they  treated  me  so  in 
Lowell — but  it  is  true.  This  was,  to  me,  at  all 
events,  proof  enough  of  Yankee  liberality ;  and 
more  than  they  generally  get  credit  for.  In  fact, 
from  the  time  I  entered  New  England,  I  was  treated 
with  the  greatest  friendship  ;  and,  I  hope,  never  shall 
forget  it ;  and  I  wish  all  who  read  this  book,  and 
who  never  were  there,  would  take  a  trip  among 
them.  If  they  don't  learn  how  to  make  money, 
they  will  know  how  to  use  it ;  and  if  they  don't 
learn  industry,  they  will  see  how  comfortable  every- 
body can  be  that  turns  his  hands  to  some  employ- 
ment." 

Crockett  was  not  a  mere  joker.  He  was  an 
honest  man,  and  an  earnest  man ;  and  under  the 
tuition  of  Congress  had  formed  some  very  decided 


TOUR   NORTH   AND   EAST.  2/7 

political  principles,  which  he  vigorously  enforced 
with  his  rude  eloquence. 

When  he  first  went  to  Congress  he  was  merely 
a  big  boy,  of  very  strong  mind,  but  totally  unin- 
formed, and  uncultivated.  He  very  rapidly  im- 
proved under  the  tuition  of  Congress ;  and  in 
some  degree  awoke  to  the  consciousness  of  his  great 
intellectual  imperfections.  Still  he  was  never  diffi- 
dent. He  closed  one  of  his  off-hand  after-dinner 
speeches  in  Boston,  by  saying: 

"  Gentlemen  of  Boston,  I  come  here  as  a  private 
citizen,  to  see  you,  and  not  to  show  myself.  I  had 
no  idea  of  attracting  attention.  But  I  feel  it  my 
duty  to  thank  you,  with  my  gratitude  to  you,  and 
with  a  gratitude  to  all  who  have  given  a  plain  man, 
like  me,  so  kind  a  reception.  I  come  from  a  great 
way  off.  But  I  shall  never  repent  of  having  been 
persuaded  to  come  here,  and  get  a  knowledge  of 
your  ways,  which  I  can  carry  home  with  me.  We 
only  want  to  do  away  prejudice  and  give  the 
people  information. 

"  I  hope,  gentlemen,  you  will  excuse  my  plain, 
unvarnished  ways,  which  may  seem  strange  to"  you 
here.  I  never  had  but  six  months'  schooling  in 
all  my  life.  And  I  confess,  I  consider  myself  a 
poor  tyke  to  be  here  addressing  the  most  intelligent 
people  in  the  world.  But  I  think  it  the  duty  of 


2/8  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

every  representative  of  the  people,  when  he  is 
called  upon,  to  give  his  opinions.  And  I  have 
tried  to  give  you  a  little  touch  of  mine." 

Every  reader  will  be  interested  in  the  perusal 
of  the  following  serious  speech,  which  he  made  in 
Boston.  It  is  a  fair  specimen  of  his  best  efforts, 
and  will  give  one  a  very  correct  idea  of  his  trains 
of  thought,  and  modes  of  expression.  It  also 
clearly  shows  the  great  questions  which  agitated 
the  country  at  that  time.  It  can  easily  be  per- 
ceived that,  as  a  stump  orator  in  the  far  West, 
Crockett  might  have  exercised  very  considerable 
power.  This  phase  of  his  peculiar  character  is  as 
worthy  of  consideration  as  any  other. 

"  GENTLEMEN  : 

"  By  the  entire  friendship  of  the  citizens  of  Bos- 
ton, as  well  as  the  particular  friendship  with  which 
you  have  received  me  this  evening,  I  have  been 
brought  to  reflect  on  times  that  have  gone  by,  and 
review  a  prejudice  that  has  grown  up  with  me,  as 
well  as  thousands  of  my  Western  and  Southern 
friends.  We  have  always  been  taught  to  look  upon 
the  people  of  New  England  as  a  selfish,  cunning 
set  of  fellows,  that  was  fed  on  fox-ears  and  thistle- 
tops  ;  that  cut  their  wisdom-teeth  as  soon  as  they 
were  born  ;  that  made  money  by  their  wits,  and 


TOUR   NORTH  AND   EAST.  2/9 

held  on  to  it  by  natur ;  that  called  cheatery  mother- 
wit  ;  that  hung  on  to  political  power  because  they 
had  numbers ;  that  raised  up  manufactures  to  keep 
down  the  South  and  West ;  and,  in  fact,  had  so 
much  of  the  devil  in  all  their  machinery,  that  they 
would  neither  lead  nor  drive,  unless  the  load  was 
going  into  their  own  cribs.  But  I  assure  you,  gen- 
tlemen, I  begin  to  think  different  of  you,  and  I 
think  I  see  a  good  many  good  reasons  for  so  doing. 

"  I  don't  mean  that  because  I  eat  your  bread 
and  drink  your  liquor,  that  I  feel  so.  No ;  that 
don't  make  me  see  clearer  than  I  did.  It  i$  your 
habits,  and  manners,  and  customs ;  your  industry  ; 
your  proud,  independent  spirits ;  your  hanging  on 
to  the  eternal  principles  of  right  and  wrong ;  your 
liberality  in  prosperity,  and  your  patience  when  you 
are  ground  down  by  legislation,  which,  instead  of 
crushing  you,  whets  your  invention  to  strike  a  path 
without  a  blaze  on  a  tree  to  guide  you ;  and1  above 
all,  your  never-dying,  deathless  grip  to  our  glorious 
Constitution.  These  are  the  things  that  make  me 
think  that  you  are  a  mighty  good  people." 

Here  the  speaker  was  interrupted  by  great 
applause. 

"  Gentlemen,  I  believe  I  have  spoke  the  truth, 
and  not  flattery ;  I  ain't  used  to  oily  words  ;  I  am 
used  to  speak  what  I  think,  of  men,  and  to  men  ; 


28O  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

I  am,  perhaps,  more  of  a  come-by-chance  than  any 
of  you  ever  saw ;  I  have  made  my  way  to  the  place 
I  now  fill,  without  wealth,  and  against  education  ;  I 
was  raised  from  obscurity,  and  placed  in  the  high 
councils  of  the  nation,  by  the  kindness  and  liberality 
of  the  good  people  of  my  district — a  people  whom  I 
will  never  be  unfaithful  to,  here  or  elsewhere ;  I 
love  them,  and  they  have  honored  me;  and  accord- 
ing as  God  has  given  me  judgment,  I'll  use  it  for 
them,  come  of  me  what  may. 

"  These  people  once  passed  sentence  upon  me 
of  a  two  years'  stay-at-home,  for  exercising  that 
which  I  contend  belongs  to  every  freeman  in  this 
nation  :  that  was,  for  differing  in  opinion  with  the 
chief  magistrate  of  this  nation.  I  was  well  acquaint- 
ed with  him.  He  was  but  a  man  ;  and,  if  I  was  not 
before,  my  constituents  had  made  a  man  of  me.  I 
had  marched  and  counter-marched  with  him  :  I  had 
stood  by  him  in  the  wars,  and  fought  under  his  flag 
at  the  polls  :  I  helped  to  heap  the  measure  of  glory 
that  has  crushed  and  smashed  everything  that  has 
come  in  contact  with  it :  I  helped  to  give  him  the 
name  of  '  Hero/  which,  like  the  lightning  from 
heaven,  has  scorched  and  blasted  everything  that 
stood  in  its  way — a  name  which,  like  the  prairie  fire, 
you  have  to  burn  against,  or  you  are  gone— a  name 
which  ought  to  be  the  first  in  war,  and  the  last  in 


TOUR   NORTH   AND   EAST.  28 1 

peace — a  name  which,  like  '  Jack-o'-the  lantern,' 
blinds  your  eyes  while  you  follow  it  through  mud 
and  mire. 

"  Gentlemen,  I  never  opposed  Andrew  Jackson 
for  the  sake  of  popularity.  I  knew  it  was  a  hard 
row  to  hoe  ;  but  I  stood  up  to  the  rack,  considering 
it  a  duty  I  owed  to  the  country  that  governed  me. 
I  had  reviewed  the  course  of  other  Presidents,  and 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  did  not  of  right  pos- 
sess any  more  power  than  those  that  had  gone 
before  him.  When  he  transcended  that  power,  I 
put  down  my  foot.  I  knew  his  popularity ;  that  he 
had  come  into  place  with  the  largest  majority  of  any 
one  that  had  gone  before  him,  who  had  opposition  : 
but  still,  I  did  not  consider  this  as  giving  him  the 
right  to  do  as  he  pleased,  and  construe  our  Constitu- 
tion to  meet  his  own  views. 

"  We  had  lived  the  happiest  people  under  the 
sun  for  fifty  years,  governed  by  the  Constitution  and 
laws,  on  well-established  constructions :  and  when  I 
saw  the  Government  administered  on  new  prin- 
ciples, I  objected,  and  was  politically  sacrificed  :  I 
persisted  in  my  sins,  having  a  clear  conscience, 
that,  before  God  and  my  country,  I  had  done  my 
duty. 

"  My  constituents  began  to  look  at  both  sides ; 
and  finally,  at  the  end  of  two  years,  approving  of 


282  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

my  course,  they  sent  me  back  to  Congress — a  cir- 
cumstance which  was  truly  gratifying  to  me. 

"  Gentlemen,  I  opposed  Andrew  Jackson  in  his 
famous  Indian  bill,  where  five  hundred  thousand 
dollars  were  voted  for  expenses,  no  part  of  which 
has  yet  been  accounted  for,  as  I  have  seen.  I 
thought  it  extravagant  as  well  as  impolitic.  I 
thought  the  rights  reserved  to  the  Indians  were 
about  to  be  frittered  away ;  and  events  prove  that  I 
thought  correct. 

"  I  had  considered  a  treaty  as  the  sovereign  law  of 
the  land  ;  but  now  saw  it  considered  as  a  matter  of 
expedience,  or  not,  as  it  pleased  the  powers  that  be. 
Georgia  bid  defiance  to  the  treaty-making  power, 
and  set  at  nought  the  Intercourse  Act  of  1802; 
she  trampled  it  under  foot ;  she  nullified  it :  and  for 
this,  she  received  the  smiles  and  approbation  of 
Andrew  Jackson.  And  this  induced  South  Carolina 
to  nullify  the  Tariff.  She  had  a  right  to  expect  that 
the  President  was  favorable  to  the  principle  :  but  he 
took  up  the  rod  of  correction,  and  shook  it  over 
South  Carolina,  and  said  at  the  same  time  to  Geor- 
gia, '  You  may  nullify,  but  South  Carolina  shall 
not.' 

"  This  was  like  his  consistency  in  many  other 
matters.  When  he  was  a  Senator  in  Congress,  he 
was  a  friend  to. internal  improvements,  and  voted 


TOUR  NORTH  AND   EAST.  283 

for  them.  Everything  then  that  could  cement  the 
States  together,  by  giving  them  'access  the  one  to 
the  other,  was  right.  When  he  got  into  power, 
some  of  his  friends  had  hard  work  to  dodge,  and 
follow,  and  shout.  I  called  off  my  dogs,  and  quit 
the  hunt.  Yes,  gentlemen,  Pennsylvania,  and  Ohio, 
and  Tennessee,  and  other  States,  voted  for  him,  as  a 
supporter  of  internal  improvements. 

"  Was  he  not  a  Tariff  man  ?  Who  dare  deny  it ! 
When  did  we  first  hear  of  his  opposition  ?  Certainly 
not  in  his  expression  that  he  was  in  favor  of  a  judi- 
cious tariff.  That  was-  supposed  to  be  a  clincher, 
even  in  New  England,  until  after  power  lifted  him 
above  the  opposition  of  the  supporters  of  a  tariff. 

"  He  was  for  putting  down  the  monster  '  party,' 
and  being  the  President  of  the  people.  Well,  in 
one  sense,  this  he  tried  to  do :  he  put  down  every 
one  he  could  who  was  opposed  to  him,  either  by 
reward  or  punishment ;  and  could  all  have  come 
into  his  notions,  and  bowed  the  knee  to  his  image, 
I  suppose  it  might  have  done  very  well,  so  far  as  he 
was  concerned.  Whether  it  would  have  been  a 
fair  reading  of  his  'famous  letter  to  Mr.  Monroe,  is 
rather  questionable. 

"  He  was  to  reform  the  Government.  Now,  if 
reformation  consists  in  turning  out  and  putting  in, 
he  did  it  with  a  vengeance. 


284  i)AVID   CROCKETT. 

"  fie  was,  last  of  all,  to  retrench  the  expenditures. 
Well,  in  time,  I  have  no  doubt,  this  must  be  done  ; 
but  it  will  not  consist  in  the  abolishing  useless  ex- 
penditures of  former  Administrations.  No,  gentle- 
men ;  the  spoils  belonged  to  the  victor ;  and  it 
would  never  do  to  lessen  the  teats  when  the  litter 
was  doubled.  The  treasury  trough  had  to  be  ex- 
tended, and  the  pap  thickened  ;  kin  were  to  be 
provided  for ;  and  i-f  all  things  keep  on  as  they  are, 
his  own  extravagances  will  have  to  be  retrenched, 
or  you  will  get  your  tariff  up  again  as  high  as  you 
please. 

"  I  recollect  a  boy  once,  who  was  told  to  turn  the 
pigs  out  of  the  corn-field.  Well,  he  made  a  great 
noise,  hallooing  and  calling  the  dogs  —  and  came 
back.  By-and-by  his  master  said,  '  Jim,  you  rascal ! 
you  didn't  turn  out  the  pigs.'  '  Sir,'  said  he, '  I  called 
the  dogs,  and  set  them  a-barking.' 

"So  it  was  with  that  big  Retrenchment  Report, 
in  1828.  Major  Hamilton  got  Chilton's  place  as 
chairman — and  called  the  dogs.  Ingham' worked 
honestly,  like  a  beaver ;  Wickliff  was  as  keen  as  a 
cutworm  :  all  of  them  worked  hard  ;  and  they  did 
really,  I  suppose,  convince  themselves  that  they  had 
found  out  a  great  deal  of  iniquity  ;  or,  what  was 
more  desirable,  convinced  the  people  that  Andrew 
Jackson  and  his  boys  were  the  only  fellows  to  mend 


TOUR   NORTH   AND   EAST.  28$ 

shoes  for  nothing,  and  find  their  own  candles.  Eve- 
rett and  Sargeant,  who  made  the  minority  report, 
were  scouted  at.  What  has  come  of  all  this?  No- 
thing— worse  than  nothing.  Jackson  used  these 
very  men  like  dogs  :  they  knew  too  much,  and  must 
be  got  rid  off,  or  they  would  stop  his  profligacy  too. 
They  were  greased  and  swallowed :  and  he  gave 
them  up  to  the  torments  of  an  anti-Jackson  con- 
science. 

"Yes,  gentlemen,  as  long  as  you  think  with  him, 
very  well ;  but  if  not — clear  out ;  make  way  for 
some  fellow  who  has  saved  his  wind  ;  and  because 
he  has  just  begun  to  huzza,  has  more  wind  to  spare. 
General  Jackson  has  turned  out  more  men  for  opin- 
ion's sake,  than  all  other  Presidents  put  together, 
five  times  over  :  and  the  broom  sweeps  so  low  that 
it  reaches  the  humblest  officer  who  happens  to  have 
a  mean  neighbor  to  retail  any  little  story  which  he 
may  pick  up. 

"  I  voted  for  Andrew  Jackson  because  I  believed 
he  possessed  certain  principles,  and  not  because  his 
name  was  Andrew  Jackson,  or  the  Hero,  or  Old 
Hickory.  And  when  he  left  those  principles  which 
induced  me  to  support  him,  I  considered  myself  jus- 
tified in  opposing  him.  This  thing  of  man-worship 
I  am  a  stranger  to  ;  I  don't  like  it ;  it  taints  every 
action  of  life  ;  it  is  like  a  skunk  getting  into  a  house 


286  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

— long  after  he  has  cleared  out,  you  smell  him  in 
every  room  and  closet,  from  the  cellar  to  the  garret. 

"  I  know  nothing,  by  experience,  of  party  disci- 
pline. I  would  rather  be  a  raccoon-dog,  and  belong 
to  a  negro  in  the  forest,  than  to*  belong  to  any  party, 
further  than  to  do  justice  to  all,  and  to  promote  the 
interests  of  my  country.  The  time  will  and  must 
come,  when  honesty  will  receive  its  reward,  and 
when  the  people  of  this  nation  will  be  brought  to  a 
sense  of  their  duty,  and  will  pause  and  reflect  how 
much  it  cost  us  to  redeem  ourselves  from  the  govern- 
ment of  one  man.  It  cost  the  lives  and  fortunes  of 
thousands  of  the  best  patriots  that  ever  lived.  Yes, 
gentlemen,  hundreds  of  them  fell  in  sight  of  your 
own  city. 

"  I  this  day  walked  over  the  great  battle-ground 
of  Bunker's  Hill,  and  thought  whether  it  was  possi- 
ble that  it  was  moistened  with  the  sacred  blood  of 
our  heroes  in  vain,  and  that  we  should  forget  what 
they  fought  for. 

"  I  hope  to  see  our  once  happy  country  restored 
to  its  former  peace  and  happiness,  and  once  more 
redeemed  from  tyranny  and  despotism,  which,  I  fear, 
we  are  on  the  very  brink  of.  We  see  the  whole 
country  in  commotion:  and  for  what?  Because, 
gentlemen,  the  true  friends  of  liberty  see  the  laws 
and  Constitution  blotted  out  from  the  heads  and 


TOUR  NORTH  AND   EAST.  28/ 

hearts  of  the  people's  leaders :  and  their  requests 
for  relief  are  treated  with  scorn  and  contempt. 
They  meet  the  same  fate  that  they  did  before  King 
George  and  his  parliament.  It  has  been  decided  by  a 
majority  of  Congress,  that  Andrew  Jackson  shall  be 
the  Government,  and  that  his  will  shall  be  the  law 
of  the  land.  He  takes  the  responsibility,  and  vetoes 
any  bill  that  does  not  meet  his  approbation.  He 
takes  the  responsibility,  and  seizes  the  treasury,  and 
removes  it  from  where  the  laws  had  placed  it ;  and 
now,  holding  purse  and  sword,  has  bid  defiance  to 
Congress  and  to  the  nation. 

"  Gentlemen,  if  it  is  for  opposing  those  high- 
handed measures  that  you  compliment  me,  I  say  I 
have  done  so,  and  will  do  so,  now  and  forever.  I 
will  be  no  man's  man,  and  no  party's  man,  other 
than  to  be  the  people's  faithful  representative  :  and 
I  am  delighted  to  see  the  noble  spirit  of  liberty 
retained  so  boldly  here,  where  the  first  spark  was 
kindled ;  and  I  hope  to  see  it  shine  and  spread  over 
our  whole  country. 

"  Gentlemen,  I  have  detained  you  much  longer 
than  I  intended  :  allow  me  to  conclude  by  thanking 
you  for  your  attention  and  kindness  to  the  stranger 
from  the  far  West." 

The  following  extract  also  shows  the  candor  of 


288  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

his  mind,  his  anxiety  to  learn,  and  the  progress  his 
mind  was  making  in  the  science  of  political  economy : 

"  I  come  to  your  country  to  get  a  knowledge  of 
things,  which  I  could  get  in  no  other  way  but  by 
seeing  with  my  own  eyes,  and  hearing  with  my  own 
ears — information  I  can't  get,  and  nobody  else,  from 
book  knowledge.  I  come,  fellow-citizens,  to  get  3. 
knowledge  of  the  manufacturing  interest  of  New 
England.  I  was  over-persuaded  to  come  by  a 
gentleman  who  had  been  to  Lowell  and  seen  the 
manufactories  of  your  State — by  General  Thomas, 
of  Louisiana.  He  persuaded  me  to  come  and  see. 

"  When  I  was  first  chose  to  Congress,  I  was  op- 
posed to  the  protecting  system.  They  told  me  it 
would  help  the  rich,  and  hurt  the  poor ;  and  that 
we  in  the  West  was  to  be  taxed  by  it  for  the  benefit 
of  New  England.  .  I  supposed  it  was  so  ;  but  when 
I  come  to  hear  it  argued  in  the  Congress  of  the  na- 
tion, I  begun  to  have  a  different  opinion  of  it.  I 
saw  I  was  opposing  the  best  interest  of  the  country; 
especially  for  the  industrious  poor  man.  I  told  my 
people  who  sent  me  to  Congress,  that  I  should  op- 
pose it  no  longer:  that  without  it,  we  should  be 
obliged  to  pay  a  tax  to  the  British  Government,  and 
support  them,  instead  of  our  own  labor.  And  I  am 
satisfied  of  it  the  more  since  I  have  visited  New 
England.  Only  let  the  Southern  gentlemen  come 


TOUR  NORTH   AND   EAST.  ,        289 

here  and  examine  the  manufactories,  and  see  how 
it  is,  and  it  would  make  more  peace  than  all  the  legis- 
ation  in  Congress  can  do.  It  would  give  different 
ideas  to  them  who  have  been  deluded,  and  spoke  in 
strong  terms  of  dissolving  the  Union." 

Crockett  returned  to  Washington  just  in  time  to 
be  present  at  the  closing  scenes,  and  then  set  out 
for  home.  So  much  had  been  said  of  him  in  the  public 
journals,  of  his  speeches  and  his  peculiarities,  that  his 
renown  now  filled  the  land. 
13 


CHAPTER  XL 
The  Disappointed  Politician. — Off  for  Texas. 

Triumphal  Return. — Home  Charms  Vanish. — Loses  His  Election. 
—  Bitter  Disappointment.  —  Crockett's  Poetry.  —  Sets  out  for 
Texas. — Incidents  of  the  Journey. — Reception  at  Little  Rock. — 
The  Shooting  Match. — Meeting  a  Clergyman. — The  Juggler. — 
Crockett  a  Reformer.— The  Bee  Hunter.— The  Rough  Strangers. 
— Scene  on  the  Prairie. 

CROCKETT'S  return  to  his  home  was  a  signal 
triumph  all  the  way.  At  Baltimore,  Philadelphia, 
Pittsburgh,  Cincinnati,  Louisville,  crowds  gathered 
to  greet  him.  He  was  feasted,  received  presents, 
was  complimented,  and  was  incessantly  called  upon 
for  a  speech.  He  was  an  earnest  student  as  he 
journeyed  along.  A  new  world  of  wonders  were 
opening  before  him.  Thoughts  which  he  never 
before  had  dreamed  of  were  rushing  into  his  mind. 
His  eyes  were  ever  watchful  to  see  all  that  was 
worthy  of  note.  His  ear  was  ever  listening  for 
every  new  idea.  He  scarcely  ever  looked  at  the 
printed  page,  but  perused  with  the  utmost  diligence 
the  book  of  nature.  His  comments  upon  what  he 
saw  indicate  much  sagacity. 


THE   DISAPPOINTED   POLITICIAN.  29! 

At  Cincinatti  and  Louisville,  immense  crowds 
assembled  to  hear  him.  In  both  places  he  spoke 
quite  at  length.  And  all  who  heard  him  were 
surprised  at  the  power  he  displayed.  Though  his 
speech  was  rude  and  unpolished,  the  clearness  of  his 
views,  and  the  intelligence  he  manifested,  caused 
the  journals  generally  to  speak  of  him  in  quite  a 
different  strain  from  that  which  they  had  been 
accustomed  to  use.  Probably  never  did  a  man 
make  so  much  intellectual  progress,  in  the  course 
of  a  few  months,  as  David  Crockett  had  made  in 
that  time.  His  wonderful  memory  of  names,  dates, 
facts,  all  the  intricacies  of  statistics,  was  such,  that 
almost  any  statesman  might  be  instructed  by  his 
addresses,  and  not  many  men  could  safely  encounter 
him  in  argument.  The  views  he  presented  upon 
the  subject  of  the  Constitution,  finance,  internal  im- 
provements, etc.,  were  very  surprising,  when  one  con- 
siders the  limited  education  he  had  enjoyed.  At  the 
close  of  these  agitating  scenes  he  touchingly  writes : 

"  In  a  short  time  I  set  out  for  my  own  home ; 
yes,  my  own  home,  my  own  soil,  my  humble 
dwelling,  my  own  family,  my  own  hearts,  my  ocean 
of  love  and  affection,  which  neither  circumstances 
nor  time  can  dry  up.  Here,  like  the  wearied  bird, 
let  me  settle  down  for  a  while,  and  shut  out  the 
world." 


2Q2  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

But  hunting  bears  had  lost  its  charms  for 
Crockett.  He  had  been  so  flattered  that  it  is 
probable  that  he  fully  expected  to  be  chosen  Pres- 
ident of  the  United  States.  There  were  two  great 
parties  then  dividing  the  country,  the  Democrats 
and  the  Whigs.  The  great  object  of  each  was  to 
find  an  available  candidate,  no  matter  how  unfit  for 
the  office.  The  leaders  wished  to  elect  a  President 
who  would  be,  like  the  Queen  of  England,  merely 
the  ornamental  figure-head  of  the  ship  of  state, 
while  their  energies  should  propel  and  guide  the 
majestic  fabric.  For  a  time  some  few  thought  it 
possible  that  in  the  popularity  of  the  great  bear- 
hunter  such  a  candidate  might  be  found. 

Crockett,  upon  his  return  home,  resumed  his 
deerskin  leggins,  his  fringed  hunting-shirt,  his  fox- 
skin  cap,  and  shouldering  his  rifle,  plunged,  as  he 
thought,  with  his  'original  zest,  into  the  cheerless, 
tangled,  marshy  forest  which  surrounded  him.  But 
the  excitements  of  Washington,  the  splendid  enter- 
tainments of  Philadelphia,  New  York,  and  Boston, 
the  flattery,  the  speech-making,  which  to  him,  with 
his  marvellous  memory  and  his  wonderful  fluency 
of  speech,  was  as  easy  as  breathing,  the  applause 
showered  upon  him,  and  the  gorgeous  vision  of  the 
Presidency  looming  up  before  him,  engrossed  his 
mind.  He  sauntered  listlessly  through  the  forest, 


THE   DISAPPOINTED    POLITICIAN.  293 

his  bear-hunting  energies  all  paralyzed.  He  soon 
grew  very  weary  of  home  and  of  all  its  employ- 
ments, and  was  eager  to  return  to  the  infinitely 
higher  excitements  of  political  life. 

General  Jackson  was  then  almost  idolized  by  his 
party.  All  through  the  South  and  West  his  name 
was  a  tower  of  strength.  Crockett  had  originally 
been  elected  as  a  Jackson-man.  He  had  abandoned 
the  Administration,  and  was  now  one  of  the  most 
inveterate  opponents  of  Jackson.  The  majority  in 
Crockett's  district  were  in  favor  of  Jackson.  The 
time  came  for  a  new  election  of  a  representative. 
Crockett  made  every  effort,  in  his  old  style,  to  secure 
the  vote.  He  appeared  at  the  gatherings  in  his 
garb  as  a  bear-hunter,  with  his  rifle  on  his  shoulder. 
He  brought  'coonskins  to  buy  whiskey  to  treat 
his  friends.  A  'coonskin  in  the  currency  of  that 
country  was  considered  the  equivalent  for  twenty- 
five  cents.  He  made  funny  speeches.  But  it  was 
all  in  vain. 

Greatly  to  his  surprise,  and  still  more  to  his  cha- 
grin, he  lost  his  election.  He  was  beaten  by  two 
hundred  and  thirty  votes.  The  whole  powerful  influ- 
ence of  the  Government  was  exerted  against  Crockett 
and  in  favor  of  his  competitor.  It  is  said  that  large 
bribes  were  paid  for  votes.  Crockett  wrote,  in  a  strain 
which  reveals  the  bitterness  of  his  disappointment : 


294  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

"  I  am  gratified  that  I  have  spoken  the  truth  to 
the  people  of  my  district,  regardless  of  the  conse- 
quences. I  would  not  be  compelled  to  btfw  down 
to  the  idol  for  a  seat  in  Congress  during  life.  I  have 
never  known  what  it  was  to  sacrifice  my  own  judg- 
ment to  gratify  any  party ;  and  I  have  no  doubt 
of  the  time  being  close  at  hand  when  I  shall  be 
rewarded  for  letting  my  tongue  speak  what  my  heart 
thinks.  I  have  suffered  myself  to  be  politically  sac- 
rificed to  save  my  country  from  ruin  and  disgrace ; 
and  if  I  am  never  again  elected,  I  will  have  the  grat- 
ification to  know  that  I  have  done  my  duty.  I  may 
add,  in  the  words  of  the  man  in  the  play, '  Crockett's 
occupation's  gone.'" 

Two  weeks  after  this  he  writes,  "  I*  confess  the 
thorn  still  rankles,  not  so  much  on  my  own  account 
as  the  nation's.  As  my  country  no  longer  requires 
my  services,  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  go  to  Texas. 
My  life  has  been  one  of  danger,  toil,  and  privation. 
But  these  difficulties  I  had  to  encounter  at  a  time 
when  I  considered  it  nothing  more  than  right  good 
sport  to  surmount  them.  But  now  I  start  upon  my 
own  hook,  and  God  only  grant  that  it  may  be  strong 
enough  to  support  the  weight  that  may  be  hung 
upon  it.  I  have  a  new  row  to  hoe,  a  long  and 
rough  one  ;  but  come  what  will,  T  will  go  ahead." 

Just   before  leaving   for  Texas,  he  attended   a 


OFF  FOR   TEXAS.  295 

political  meeting  of  his  constituents.  The  following 
extract  from  his  autobiograply  will  give  the  reader  a 
very  vivid  idea  of  his  feelings  at  the  time,  and  of 
the  very  peculiar  character  which  circumstances  had 
developed  in  him : 

"  A  few  days  ago  I  went  to  a  meeting  of  my  con- 
stituents. My  appetite  for  politics  was  at  one  time 
just  about  as  sharp  set  as  a  saw-mill,  but  late  events 
have  given  me  something  of  a  surfeit,  more  than  I 
could  well  digest ;  still,  habit,  they  say,  is  second 
natur,  and  so  I  went,  and  gave  them  a  piece  of  my 
mind  touching 'the  Government '  and  the  succession, 
by  way  of  a  codicil  to  what  I  have  often  said  before. 

"  I  told  them,  moreover,  of  my  services,  pretty 
straight  up  and  down,  for  a  man  may  be  allowed  to 
speak  on  such  subjects  when  others  are  about  to  for- 
get them  ;  and  I  also  told  them  of  the  manner  in 
which  I  had  been  knocked  down  and  dragged  out, 
and  that  I  did  not  consider  it  a  fair  fight  anyhow 
they  could  fix  it.  I  put  the  ingredients  in  the  cup 
pretty  strong  I  tell  you,  and  I  concluded  my  speech 
by  telling  them  that  I  was  done  with  politics  for  the 
present,  and  that  they  might  all  go  to  hell,  and  I 
would  go  to  Texas. 

"  When  I  returned  home  I  felt  a  sort  of  cast 
down  at  the  change  that  had  taken  place  in  my 
fortunes;  and  sorrow,  it  is  said,  will  make  even  an 


296  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

oyster  feel  poetical.  I  never  tried  my  hand  at  that 
sort  of  writing,  but  on  this  particular  occasion  such 
was  my  state  of  feeling,  that  I  began  to  fancy 
myself  inspired  ;  so  I  took  pen  in  hand,  and  as  usual 
I  went  ahead.  When  I  had  got  fairly  through,  my 
poetry  looked  as  zigzag  as  a  worm-fence  ;  the  lines 
wouldn't  tally  no  how ;  so  I  showed  them  to  Peleg 
Longfellow,  who  -has  a  first-rate  reputation  with  us 
for  that  sort  of  writing,  having  some  years  ago  made 
a  carrier's  address  for  the  Nashville  Banner;  and 
Peleg  lopped  of  some  lines,  and  stretched  out 
others ;  but  I  wish  I  may  be  shot  if  I  don't  rather 
think  he  has  made  it  worse  than  it  was  when  I 
placed  it  in  his  hands.  It  being  my  first,  and,  no 
doubt,  last  piece  of  poetry,  I  will  print  it  in  this 
place,  as  it  will  serve  to  express  my  feelings  on  leav- 
ing my  home,  my  neighbors,  and  friends  and  coun- 
try, for  a  strange  land,  as  fully  as  I  could  in  plain 
prose. 

"Farewell  to  the  mountains  whose  mazes  to  me 
Were  more  beautiful  far  than  Eden  could  be  ; 
No  fruit  was  forbidden,  but  Nature  had  spread 
Her  bountiful  board,  and  her  children  were  fed. 
The  hills  were  our  garners — our  herds  wildly  grew, 
And  Nature  was  shepherd  and  husbandman  too. 
I  felt  like  a  monarch,  yet  thought  like  a  man, 
As  I  thanked  the  Great  Giver,  and  worshipped  his  plan. 

"  The  home  I  forsake  where  my  offspring  arose  ; 
The  graves  I  forsake  where  my  children  repose.  


OFF   FOR   TEXAS.  297 

The  home  I  redeemed  from  the  savage  and  wild ; 
The  home  I  have  loved  as  a  father  his  child  ; 
The  corn  that  I  planted,  the  fields  that  I  cleared, 
The  flocks  that  I  raised,  and  the  cabin  I  reared  ; 
The  wife  of  my  bosom — Farewell  to  ye  all ! 
In  the -land  of  the  stranger  I  rise  or  I  fall. 

"  Farewell  to  my  country  !  I  fought  for  thee  well, 
When  the  savage  rushed  forth  like  the  demons  from  hell. 
In  peace  or  in  war  I  have  stood  by  thy  side — 
My  country,  for  thee  I  have  lived,  would  have  died  ! 
But  I  am  cast  off,  my  career  now  is  run, 
And  I  wander  abroad  like  the  prodigal  son — 
Where  the  wild  savage  roves,  and  the  broad  prairies  spread, 
The  fallen — despised — will  again  go  ahead." 

A  party  of  American  adventurers,  then  called 
filibusters,  had  gone  into  Texas,  in  the  endeavor  to 
wrest  that  immense  and  beautiful  territory,  larger 
than  the  whole  Empire  of  France,  from  feeble,  dis- 
tracted, miserable  Mexico,  to  which  it  belonged. 
These  filibusters  were  generally  the  most  worthless 
and  desperate  vagabonds  to  be  found  in  all  the 
Southern  States.  Many  Southern  gentlemen  of 
wealth  and  ability,  but  strong  advocates  of  slavery, 
were  in  cordial  sympathy  with  this  movement,  and 
aided  it  with  their  purses,  and  in  many  other  ways. 
It  was  thought  that  if  Texas  could  be  wrested  from 
Mexico  and  annexed  to  the  United  States,  it  might 
be  divided  into  several  slaveholding  States,  and 
thus  check  the  rapidly  increasing  preponderance  of 
the  free  States  of  the  North. 
13* 


298  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

To  join  in  this  enterprise,  Crockett  now  left  his 
home,  his  wife,  his  children.  There  could  be  no 
doubt  of  the  eventual  success  of  the  undertaking. 
And  in  that  success  Crockett  saw  visions  of  political 
glory  opening  before  him.  I  determined,  he  said,  "  to 
quit  the  States  until  such  time  as  honest  and  inde- 
pendent men  should  again  work  their  way  to  the 
head  of  the  heap.  And  as  I  should  probably  have 
some  idle  time  on  hand  before  that  state  of  affairs 
would  be  brought  about,  I  promised  to  give  the 
Texans  a  helping  hand  on  the  high  road  to  freedom." 

He  dressed  himself  in  a  new  deerskin  hunting- 
shirt,  put  on  a  foxskin  cap  with  the  tail  hanging 
behind,  shouldered  his  farrjous  rifle,  and  cruelly  leav- 
ing in  the  dreary  cabin  his  wife  and  children  whom  he 
cherished  with  an  "  ocean  of  love  and  affection,"  set 
out  on  foot  upon  his  perilous  adventure.  A  days' 
journey  through  the  forest  brought  him  to  the  Mis- 
sissippi River.  Here  he  took  a  steamer  down  that 
majestic  stream  to  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas  River, 
which  rolls  its  vast  flood  from  regions  then  quite 
unexplored  in  the  far  West.  The  stream  was  navi- 
gable fourteen  hundred  miles  from  its  mouth. 

Arkansas  was  then  but  a  Territory,  two  hundred 
and  forty  miles  long  and  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
eight  broad.  The  sparsely  scattered  population  of 
the  Territory  amounted  to  but  about  thirty  thousand. 


OFF  FOR   TEXAS.  299 

Following  up  the  windings  of  the  river  three  hun- 
dred miles,  one  came  to  a  cluster  of  a  few  straggling 
huts,  called  Little  Rock,  which  constitutes  now  the 
capital  of  the  State. 

Crockett  ascend  jj  the  river  in  the  steamer,  and, 
unencumbered  with  baggage,  save  his  rifle,  hastened 
to  a  tavern  which  he  saw  at  a  little  distance  from 
the  shore,  around  which  there  was  assembled  quite 
a  crowd  of  men.  He  had  been  so  accustomed  to 
public  triumphs  that  he  supposed  that  they  had 
assembled  in  honor  of  his  arrival.  "  Strange  as  it  may 
seem,"  he  says,  "  they  took  no  more  notice  of  me 
than  if  I  had  been  Dick  Johnson,  the  wool-grower. 
This  took  me  somewhat  aback ; "  and  he  inquired 
what  was  the  meaning  of  the  gathering. 

He  found  that  the  people  had  been  called  to- 
gether to  witness  the  feats  of  a  celebrated  juggler 
and  gambler.  The  name  of  Colonel  Crockett  had 
gone  through  the  nation  ;  and  gradually  it  became 
noised  abroad  that  Colonel  Crockett  was  in  the 
crowd.  "  I  wish  I  may  be  shot,"  Crockett  says, 
"  if  I  wasn't  looked  upon  as  almost  as  great  a  sight 
as  Punch  and  Judy." 

He  was  invited  to  a  public  dinner  that  very  day. 
As  it  took  some  time  to  cook  the  dinner,  the  whole 
company  went  to  a  little  distance  to  shoot  at  a  mark. 
All  had  heard  of  Crockett's  skill.  After  several  of 


3OO  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

the  best  sharpshooters  had  fired,  with  remarkable 
accuracy,  it  came  to  Crockett's  turn.  Assuming  an 
air  of  great  carelessness,  he  raised  his  beautiful  rifle, 
which  he  called  Betsey,  to  his  shoulder,  fired,  and  it 
so  happened  that  the  bullet  struck  exactly  in  the 
centre  of  the  bull's-eye.  All  were  astonished,  and 
so  was  Crockett  himself.  But  with  an  air  of  much  in- 
difference he  turned  upon  his  heel,  saying,  "  There's 
no  mistake  in  Betsey." 

One  of  the  best  marksmen  in  those  parts,  cha- 
grined at  being  so  beaten,  said,  "  Colonel,  that  must 
have  been  a  chance  shot," 

"  I  can  do  it,"  Crockett  replied,  •'  five  times  out 
of  six,  any  day  in  the  week." 

"  I  knew,"  he  adds,  in  his  autobiography,  "it  was 
not  altogether  as  correct  as  it  might  be ;  but  when 
a  man  sets  about  going  the  big  figure,  halfway 
measures  won't  answer  no  how." 

It  was  now  proposed  that  there  should  be  a  sec 
ond  trial.  Crockett  was  very  reluctant  to  consent 
to  this,  for  he  had  nothing  to  gain,  and  everything 
to  lose.  But  they  insisted  so  vehemently  that  he 
had  to  yield.  As  what  ensued  does  not  redound 
much  to  his  credit,  we  will  let  him  tell  the  story  in 
his  own  language.' 

"  So  to  it  again  we  went.  They  were  now  put 
upon  their  mettle,  and  they  fired  much  better  than 


OFF   FOR   TEXAS.  30 1 

the  first  time  ;  and  it  was  what  might  be  called 
pretty  sharp  shooting.  When  it  came  to  my  turn,  I 
squared  myself,  and  turning  to  the  prime  shot,  I 
gave  him  a  knowing  nod,  by  way  of  showing  my 
confidence  ;  and  says  I,  '  Look  out  for  the  bulFs- 
eye,  stranger.'  I  blazed  away,  and  I  wish  I  may 
be  shot  if  I  didn't  miss  the  target.  They  exam- 
ined it  all  over,  and  could  find  neither  hair  nor 
hide  of  my  bullet,  and  pronounced  it  a  dead 
miss  ;  when  says  I,  '  Stand  aside  and  let  me  look, 
and  I  warrant  you  I  get  on  the  right  trail  of  the 
critter.'  They  stood  aside,  and  I  examined  the 
bull's-eye  pretty  particular,  and  at  length  cried  out, 
'  Here  it  is  ;  there  is  no  snakes  if  it  ha'n't  followed 
the  very  track  of  the  other.'  They  said  it  was 
utterly  impossible,  but  I  insisted  on  their  searching 
the  hole,  and  I  agreed  to  be  stuck  up  as  a  mark 
myself,  if  they  did  not  find  two  bullets  there.  They 
searched  for  my  satisfaction,  and  sure  enough  it  all 
come  out  just  as  I  had  told  them  ;  for  I  had  picked 
up  a  bullet  that  had  been  fired,  and  stuck  it  deep 
into  the  hole,  without  any  one  perceiving  it.  They 
were  all  perfectly 'satisfied  that  fame  had  not  made 
too  great  a  flourish  of  trumpets  when  speaking  of 
me  as  a  marksman ;  and  they  all  said  they  had 
enough  of  shooting  for  that  day,  and  they  moved 
that  we  adjourn  to  the  tavern  and  liquor." 


302  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

The  dinner  consisted  of  bear's  meat,  venison,  and 
wild  turkey.  They  had  an  "  uproarious  "  time  over 
their  whiskey.  Crockett  made* a  coarse  and  vulgar 
speech,  which  was  neither  creditable  to  his  head  nor 
his  heart.  But  it  was  received  with  great  applause. 

The  next  morning  Crockett  decided  to  set  out 
to  cross  the  country  in  a  southwest  direction,  to 
Fulton,  on  the  upper  waters  of  the  Red  River.  The 
gentlemen  furnished  Crockett  with  a  fine  horse,  and 
five  of  them  decided  to  accompany  him,  as  a  mark 
of  respect,  to  the  River  Washita,  fifty  miles  from 
Little  Rock.  Crockett  endeavored  to  raise  some 
recruits  for  Texas,  but  was  unsuccessful.  When 
they  reached  the  Washita,  they  found  a  clergyman, 
one  of  those  bold,  hardy  pioneers  of  the  wilderness, 
who  through  the  wildest  adventures  were  distribut- 
ing tracts  and  preaching  the  gospel  in  the  remotest 
hamlets. 

He  was  in  a  condition  of  great  peril.  He  had 
attempted  to  ford  the  river  in  the  wrong  place,  and 
had  reached  a  spot  where  he  could  not  advance  any 
farther,  and  yet  could  not  turn  his  horse  round. 
With  much  difficulty  they  succeeded  in  extricating 
him,  and  in  bringing  him  safe  to  the  shore.  Having 
bid  adieu  to  his  kind  friends,  who  had  escorted  him 
thus  far,  Crockett  crossed  the  river,  and  in  company 
with  the  clergyman  continued  his  journey,  about 


OFF   FOR   TEXAS.  303 

twenty  miles  farther  west  toward  a  little  settlement 
called  Greenville.  He  found  his  new  friend  to  be 
a  very  charming  companion.  In  describing  the  ride, 
Crockett  writes : 

"  We  talked  about  politics,  religion,  and  nature, 
farming,  and  bear-hunting,  and  the  many  blessings 
that  an  all-bountiful  Providence  has  bestowed  upon 
our  happy  country.  He  continued  to  talk  upon 
this  subject,  travelling  over  the  whole  ground  as  it 
were,  until  his  imagination  glowed,  and  his  soul 
became  full  to  overflowing ;  and  he  checked  his 
horse,  and  I  stopped  mine  also,  and  a  stream  of  elo- 
quence burst  forth  from  his  aged  lips,  such  as  I  have 
seldom  listened  to:  it  came  from  the  overflowing 
fountain  of  a  pure  and  grateful  heart.  We  were 
alone  in  the  wilderness,  but  as  he  proceeded,  it 
seemed  to  me  as  if  the  tall  trees  bent  their  tops 
to  listen ;  that  the  mountain  stream  laughed  out 
joyfully  as  it  bounded  on  like  some  living  thing; 
that  the  fading  flowers  of  autumn  smiled,  and  sent 
forth  fresher  fragrance,  as  if  conscious  that  they 
would  revive  in  spring ;  and  even  the  sterile  rocks 
seemed  to  be  endued  with  some  mysterious  influ- 
ence. We  were  alone  in  the  wilderness,  but  all 
things  told  me  that  God  was  there.  The  thought 
renewed  my  strength  and  courage.  I  had  left  my 
country,  felt  somewhat  like  an  outcast,  believed  that 


304  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

I  had  been  neglected  and  lost  sight  of.  But  I  was 
now  conscious  that  there  was  still  one  watchful  Eye 
over  me ;  no  matter  whether  I  dwelt  in  the  popu- 
lous cities,  or  threaded  the  pathless  forest  alone  ;  no 
matter  whether  I  stood  in  the  high  places  among 
men,  or  made  my  solitary  lair  in  the  untrodden 
wild,  that  Eye  was  still  upon  me.  My  very  soul 
leaped  joyfully  at  the  thought.  I  never  felt  so 
grateful  in  all  my  life.  I  never  loved  my  God  so  sin- 
cerely in  all  my  life.  I  felt  that  I  still  had  a  friend. 

"  When  the  old  man  finished,  I  found  that  my 
eyes  were  wet  with  tears.  I  approached  and  pressed 
his  hand,  and  thanked  him,  and  says  I,  '  Now  let  us 
take  a  drink.'*  I  set  him  the  example,  and  he  fol- 
lowed it,  and  in  a  style  too  that  satisfied  me,  that  if 
he  had  ever  belonged  to  the  temperance  society, 
he  had  either  renounced  membership,  or  obtained 
a  dispensation.  Having  liquored,  we  proceeded  on 
our  journey,  keeping  a  sharp  lookout  for  mill-seats 
and  plantations  as  we  rode  along. 

"  I  left  the  worthy  old  man  at  Greenville,  and 
sorry  enough  I  was  to  part  with  him,  for  he  talked 
a  great  deal,  and  he  seemed  to  know  a  little  about 
everything.  He  knew  all  about  the  history  of  the 
country  ;  was  well  acquainted  with  all  the  leading 
men ;  knew  where  all  the  good  lands  lay  in  most  of 
Western  States. 


OFF  FOR   TEXAS.  305 

"  He  was  very  cheerful  and  happy,  though  to 
all  appearances  very  poor.  I  thought  that  he  would 
make  a  first-rate  agent  for  taking  up  lands,  and  men- 
tioned it  to  him.  He  smiled,  and  pointing  above, 
said,  '  My  wealth  lies  not  in  this  world.'  " 

From  Greenville,  Crockett  pressed  on  about  fifty 
or  sixty  miles  through  a  country  interspersed  with 
forests  and  treeless  prairies,  until  he  reached  Fulton. 
He  had  a  letter  of  introduction  to  one  of  the  promi- 
nent gentlemen  here,  and  was  received  with  marked 
distinction.  After  a  short  visit  he  disposed  of  his 
horse ;  he  took  a  steamer  to  descend  the  river  sev- 
eral hundred  miles  to  Natchitoches,  pronounced  Nak- 
itosh,  a  small  straggling  village  of  eight  hundred 
inhabitants,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Red  River, 
about  two  hundred  miles  from  its  entrance  into  the 
Mississippi. 

In  descending  the  river  there  was  a  juggler  on 
board,  who  performed  many  skilful  juggling  tricks, 
and  by  various  feats  of  gambling  won  much  -money 
from  his  dupes.  Crockett  was  opposed  to  gambling 
in  all  its  forms.  Becoming  acquainted  with  the 
juggler  and,  finding  him  at  heart  a  well-meaning, 
good-natured  fellow,  he  endeavored  to  remonstrate 
with  him  upon  his  evil  practices. 

"  I  told  him,"  says  Crockett,  "  that  it  was  a  bur- 
lesque on  human  nature,  that  an  able-bodied  man, 


306  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

possessed  of  his  full  share  of  good  sense,  should 
voluntarily  debase  himself,  and  be  indebted  for  sub- 
sistence to  such  a  pitiful  artifice. 

" '  But  what's  to  be  done,  Colonel  ? '  says  he. 
'  I'm  in  the  slough  of  despond,  up  to  the  very  chin. 
A  miry  and  slippery  path  to  travel/ 

"  '  Then  hold  your  head  up/  says  I,  '  before  the 
slough  reaches  your  lips.' 

"'  But  what's  the  use?'  says  he:  'it's  utterly 
impossible  for  me  to  wade  through;  and  even  if, I 
could,  I  should  be  in  such  a  dirty  plight,  that  it  would 
defy  all  the  waters  in  the  Mississippi  to  wash  me 
clean  again.  No,'  he  added  in  a  desponding  tone, 
'  I  should  be  like  a  live  eel  in  a  frying-pan,  Colonel, 
sort  of  out  of  my  element,  if  I  attempted  to  live  like 
an  honest  man  at  this  time  o'  day.' 

"  'That  I  deny.  It  is  never  too  late  to  become 
honest,'  said  I.  '  But  even  admit  what  you  say  to 
be  true — that  you  cannot  live  like  an  honest  man — 
you  have  at  least  the  next  best  thing  in  your  power, 
and  no  one  can  say  nay  to  it.' 

"  '  And  what  is  that  ?  ' 

" '  Die  like  a  brave  one.  And  I  know  not  whether, 
in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  a  brilliant  death  is  not  pre- 
ferred to  an  obscure  life  of  rectitude.  Most  men 
are  remembered  as  they  died,  and  not  as  they  lived. 
We  gaze  with  admiration  upon  the  glories  of  the 


OFF  FOR   TEXAS.  3O/ 

setting  sun,  yet  scarcely  bestow  a  passing  glance 
upon  its  noonday  splendor.' 

"  '  You  are  right ;  but  how  is  this  to  be  done  ? ' 

"  '  Accompany  me  to  Texas.  Cut  aloof  from  your 
degrading  habits  and  associates  here,  and,  in  fighting 
for  the  freedom  of  the  Texans,  regain  your  own.' 

"  The  man  seemed  much  moved.  He  caught  up 
his  gambling  instruments,  thrust  them  into  his 
pocket,  with  hasty  strides  traversed  the  floor  two 
or  three  times,  and  then  exclaimed : 

"  '  By  heaven,  I  will  try  to  be  a  man  again.  I  will 
live  honestly,  or  die  bravely.  I  will  go  with  you  to 
Texas.'  " 

To  confirm  him  in  his  good  resolution,  Crockett 
"  asked  him  to  liquor."  At  Natchitoches,  Crockett 
encountered  another  very  singular  character.  He 
was  a  remarkably  handsome  young  man,  of  poetic 
imagination,  a  sweet  singer,  and  with  innumerable 
scraps  of  poetry  and  of  song  ever  at  his  tongue's  end. 
Honey-trees,  as  they  were  called,  were  very  abund- 
ant in  Texas.  The  prairies  were  almost  boundless 
parterres  of  the  richest  flowers,  from  which  the  bees 
made  large  quantities  of  the  most  delicious  honey. 
This  they  deposited  in  the  hollows  of  trees.  Not  only 
was  the  honey  valuable,  but  the  wax  constituted  a 
very  important  article  of  commerce  in  Mexico,  and 
brought  a  high  price,  being  used  for  the  immense 


308  DAVID  CROCKETT. 

candles  which  they  burned  in  their  churches.  The 
bee-hunter,  by  practice,  acquired  much  skill  in 
coursing  the  bees  to  their  hives. 

This  man  decided  to  join  Crockett  and  the  jug- 
gler in  their  journey  over  the  vast  prairies  of  Texas. 
Small,  but  very  strong  and  tough  Mexican  ponies, 
called  mustangs,  were  very  cheap.  They  were  found 
wild,  in  droves  of  thousands,  grazing  on  the  prairies. 
The  three  adventurers  mounted  their  ponies,  and 
set  out  on  their  journey  due  west,  a  distance  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  miles,  to  Nacogdoches.  Their 
route  was  along  a  mere  trail,  which  was  called  the 
old  Spanish  road.  It  led  over  vast  prairies,  where 
there  was  no  path,  and  where  the  bee-hunter  was 
their  guide,  and  through  forests  where  their  course 
was  marked  only  by  blazed  trees. 

The  bee-hunter,  speaking  of  the  state  of  society 
in  Texas,  said  that  at  San  Felipe  he  had  sat  down 
with  a  small  party  at  the  breakfast-table,  where 
eleven  of  the  company  had  fled  from  the  States 
charged  with  the  crime  of  murder.  So  accustomed 
were  the  inhabitants  to  the  appearance  of  fugitives 
from  justice,  that  whenever  a  stranger  came  among 
them,  they  took  it  for  granted  that  he  had  com- 
mitted some  crime  which  rendered  it  necessary  for 
him  to  take  refuge  beyond  the  grasp  of  his  country's 
laws. 


OFF   FOR  TEXAS.  309 

They  reached  Nacogdoches  without  any  special 
adventure.  It  was  a  flourishing  little  Mexican  town 
of  about  one  thousand  inhabitants,  situated  in  a 
romantic  dell,  about  sixty  miles  west  of  the  River 
Sabine.  The  Mexicans  and  the  Indians  were  very 
nearly  on  an  intellectual  and  social  equality.  Groups 
of  Indians,  harmless  and  friendly,  were  ever  saun- 
tering through  the  streets  of  the  little  town. 

Colonel  Crockett's  horse  had  become  lame  on  the 
journey.  He  obtained  another,  and,  with  his  feet 
nearly  touching  the  ground  as  he  bestrode  the  little 
animal,  the  party  resumed  its  long  and  weary  jour- 
ney, directing  their  course  two  or  three  hundred 
miles  farther  southwest  through  the  very  heart  of 
Texas  to  San  Antonio.  They  frequently  encoun- 
tered vast  expanses  of  canebrakes;  such  canes  as 
Northern  boys  use  for  fishing-poles.  There  is  one 
on  the  banks  of  Caney  Creek,  seventy  miles  in  length, 
with  scarcely  a  tree  to  be  seen  for  the  whole  distance. 
There  was  generally  a  trail  cut  through  these,  bare- 
ly wide  enough  for  a  single  mustang  to  pass.  The 
reeds  were  twenty  or  thirty  feet  high,  and  so  slender 
that,  having  no  support  over  the  path,  they  drooped 
a  little  inward  and  intermingled  their  tops.  Thus  a 
very  singular  and  beautiful  canopy  was  formed,  be- 
neath which  the  travellers  moved  along  sheltered 
from  the  rays  of  a  Texan  sun.  - 


3IO  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

As  they  were  emerging  from  one  of  these  arched 
avenues,  they  saw  three  black  wolves  jogging  along 
very  leisurely  in  front  of  them,  but  at  too  great  a 
distance  to  be  reached  by  a  rifle-bullet.  Wild  tur- 
keys were  very  abundant,  and  vast  droves  of  wild 
horses  were  cropping  the  herbage  of  the  most 
beautiful  and  richest  pastures  to  be  found  on  earth. 
Immense  herds  of  buffaloes  were  also  seen. 

"  These  sights,"  says  Crockett,  "  awakened  the 
ruling  passion  strong  within  me,  and  I  longed  to  have 
a  hunt  on  a  large  scale.  For  though  I  had  killed 
many  bears  and  deer  in  my  time,  I  had  never 
brought  down  a  buffalo,  and  so  I  told  my  friends. 
But  they  tried  to  dissuade  me  from  it,  telling  me 
that  I  would  certainly  lose  my  way,  and  perhaps 
perish  ;  for  though  it  appeared  a  garden  to  the  eye, 
it  was  still  a  wilderness.  I  said  little  more  upon  the 
subject  until  we  crossed  the  Trinidad  River.  But 
every  mile  we  travelled,  I  found  the  temptation 
grew  stronger  and  stronger." 

The  night  after  crossing  the  Trinidad  River  they 
were  so  fortunate  as  to  come  across  the  hut  of  a 
poor  woman,  where  they  took  shelter  until  the  next 
morning.  They  were  here  joined  by  two  other 
chance  travellers,  who  must  indeed  have  been  rough 
specimens  of  humanity.  Crockett  says  that  though 
he  had  often  seen  men  who  had  not  advanced  far 


OFF  FOR   TEXAS.  311 

over  the  line  of  civilization,  these  were  the  coarsest 
samples  he  had  ever  met. 

One  proved  to  be  an  old  pirate,  about  fifty  years 
of  age.  He  was  tall,  bony,  and  in  aspect  seemed 
scarcely  human.  The  shaggy  hair  of  his  whiskers 
and  beard  covered  nearly  his  whole  face.  He  had 
on  a  sailor's  round  jacket  and  tarpaulin  hat.  The 
deep  scar,  apparently  of  a  sword  cut,  deformed  his 
forehead,  and  another  similar  scar  was  on  the  back 
of  one  of  his  hands.  His  companion  was  a  young 
Indian,  wild  as  the  wolves,  bareheaded,  and  with 
scanty  deerskin  dress. 

Early  the  next  morning  they  all  resumed  their 
journey,  the  two  strangers  following  on  foot.  Their 
path  led  over  the  smooth  and  treeless  prairie,  as 
beautiful  in  its  verdure  and  its  flowers  as  the  most 
cultivated  park  could  possibly  be.  About  noon 
they  stopped  to  refresh  their  horses  and  dine 
beneath  a  cluster  of  trees  in  the  open  prairie.  They 
had  built  their-  fire,  were  cooking  their  game,  and 
were  all  seated  upon  the  grass,  chatting  very 
sociably,  when  the  bee-hunter  saw  a  bee,  which  in- 
dicated that  a  hive  of  honey  might  be  found  not  far 
distant.  He  leaped  upon  his  mustang,  and  without 
saying  a  word,  "  started  off  like  mad,"  and  scoured 
along  the  prairie.  "  We  watched  him,"  says 
Crockett,  "  until  he  seemed  no  larger  than  a  rat, 
and  finally  disappeared  in  the  distance." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Adventures  on  the  Prairie. 

Disappearance  of  the  Bee  Hunter. — The  Herd  of  Buffaloes. — Crockett 
lost. — The  Fight  with  the  Cougar. — Approach  of  Savages. — 
Their  Friendliness. — Picnic  on  the  Prairie. — Picturesque  Scene. — 
The  Lost  Mustang  recovered. — Unexpected  Reunion. — Depart- 
ure of  the  Savages. — Skirmish  with  the  Mexicans. — Arrival  at 
the  Alamo. 

SOON  after  the  bee-hunter  had  disappeared,  all 
were  startled  by  a  strange  sound,  as  of  distant 
thunder.  It  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  sum- 
mer days.  There  was  not  a  cloud  to  be  seen.  The 
undulating  prairie,  waving  with  flowers,  lay  spread 
out  before  them,  more  beautiful  under  nature's 
bountiful  adornings  than  the  most  artistic  parterre, 
park  or  lawn  which  the  hand  of  man  ever  reared. 
A  gentle,  cool  breeze  swept  through  the  grove,  fra- 
grant and  refreshing  as  if  from  Araby  the  blest.  It 
was  just  one  of  those  scenes  and  one  of  those  hours 
in  which  all  vestiges  of  the  Fall  seemed  to  have 
been  obliterated,  and  Eden  itself  again  appeared 
blooming  in  its  pristine  beauty. 

Still  those  sounds,  growing  more  and  more  dis- 


ADVENTURES   ON   THE   PRAIRIE.  313 

tinct,  were  not  sounds  of  peace,  were  not  seolian 
warblings;  they  were  mutterings  as  of  a  rising 
tempest,  and  inspired  awe  and  a  sense  of  peril. 
Straining  their  eyes  toward  the  far-distant  west, 
whence  the  sounds  came,  they  soon  saw  an  immense 
black  cloud  just  emerging  from  the  horizon  and  ap- 
parently very  low  down,  sweeping  the  very  surface 
of  the  prairie.  This  strange,  menacing  cloud  was 
approaching  with  manifestly  great  rapidity.  It  was 
coming  directly  toward  the  grove  where  the  trav- 
ellers were  sheltered.  A  cloud  of  dust  accompanied 
the  phenomenon,  ever  growing  thicker  and  rising 
higher  in  the  air. 

"  What  can  that  all  mean  ?  "  exclaimed  Crockett, 
in  evident  alarm. 

The  juggler  sprang  to  his  feet,  saying,  "  Burn  my 
old  shoes  if  I  know." 

Even  the  mustangs,  which  were  grazing  near  by, 
were  frightened.  They  stopped  eating,  pricked  up 
their  ears,  and  gazed  in  terror  upon  the  approaching 
danger.  It  was  then  supposed  that  the  black  cloud, 
with  its  muttered  thunderings,  must  be  one  of  those 
terrible  tornadoes  which  occasionally  swept  the  re- 
gion, bearing  down  everything  before  it.  The  men 
all  rushed  for  the  protection  of  the  mustangs.  In 
the  greatest  haste  they  struck  off  their  hobbles  and 
led  them  into  the  grove  for  shelter. 


3 14  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

The  noise  grew  louder  and  louder,  and  they  had 
scarcely  brought  the  horses  beneath  the  protection 
of  the  trees,  when  they  perceived  that  it  was  an 
immense  herd  of  buffaloes,  of  countless  hundreds, 
dashing  along  with  the  speed  of  the  wind,  and  bel- 
lowing and  roaring  in  tones  as  appalling  as  if  a  band 
of  demons  were  flying  and  shrieking  in  terror  before 
some  avenging  arm. 

The  herd  seemed  to  fill  the  horizon.  Their  num- 
bers could  not  be  counted.  They  were  all  driven 
by  some  common  impulse  of  terror.  In  their  head- 
long plunge,  those  in  front  pressed  on  by  the  innu- 
merable throng  behind,  it  was  manifest  that  no 
ordinary  obstacle  would  in  the  slighest  degree 
retard  their  rush.  The  spectacle  was  sublime  arid 
terrible.  Had  the  travellers  been  upon  the  open 
plain,  it  seemed  inevitable  that  they  must  have  been 
trampled  down  and  crushed  out  .of  every  semblance 
of  humanity  by  these  thousands  of  hard  hoofs. 

But  it  so  chanced  that  they  were  upon  what  is 
called  a  rolling  prairie,  with  its  graceful  undulations 
and  gentle  eminences.  It  was  one  of  these  beauti- 
ful swells  which  the  grove  crowned  with  its  luxu- 
riance. 

As  the  enormous  herd  came  along  with  its  rush 
and  roar,  like  the  bursting  forth  of  a  pent-up  flood, 
the  terrified  mustangs  were  too  much  frightened  to 


ADVENTURES   ON   THE   PRAIRIE.  315 

attempt  to  escape.  They  shivered  in  every  nerve  as 
if  stricken  by  an  ague. 

An  immense  black  bull  led  the  band.  He  was  a 
few  feet  in  advance  of  all  the  rest.  He  came  roaring 
along,  his  tail  erect  in  the  air  as  a  javelin,  his  head 
near  the  ground,  and  his  stout,  bony  horns  projected 
as  if  he  were  just  ready  to  plunge  upon  his  foe. 
Crockett  writes : 

"  I  never  felt  such  a  desire  to  have  a  crack  at  any- 
thing in  all  my  life.  He  drew  nigh  the  place  where 
I  was  standing.  I  raised  my  beautiful  Betsey  to  my 
shoulder  and  blazed  away.  He  roared,  and  suddenly 
stopped.  Those  that  were  near  him  did  so  likewise. 
The  commotion  occasioned  by  the  impetus  of  those 
in  the  rear  was  such  that  it  was  a  miracle  that  some 
of-them  did  not  break  their  heads  or  necks.  The 
black  bull  stood  for  a  few  moments  pawing  the 
ground  after  he  was  shot,  then  darted  off  around  the 
cluster  of  trees,  and  made  for  the  uplands  of  the 
prairies.  The  whole  herd  followed,  sweeping  by 
like  a  tornado.  And  I  do  say  I  never  witnessed  a 
sight  more  beautiful  to  the  eye  of  a  hunter  in  all  my 
life." 

The  temptation  to  pursue  them  was  too  strong 
for  Crockett  to  resist.  For  a  moment  he  was  him- 
self bewildered,  and  stood  gazing  with  astonishment 
upon  the  wondrous  spectacle.  Speedily  he  reloaded 


316  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

his  rifle,  sprung  upon  his  horse,  and  set  out  in  pur- 
suit over  the  green  and  boundless  prairie.  There 
was  something  now  quite  ludicrous  in  the  scene. 
There  was  spread  out  an  ocean  expanse  of  verdure. 
A  herd  of  countless  hundreds  of  majestic  buffaloes, 
every  animal  very  ferocious  in  aspect,  was  clattering 
along,  and  a  few  rods  behind  them  in  eager  pursuit 
was  one  man,  mounted  on  a  little,  insignificant 
Mexican  pony,  not  much  larger  than  a  donkey.  It 
would  seem  that  but  a  score  of  this  innumerable 
army  need  but  turn  round  and  face  their  foe,  and 
they  could  toss  horse  and  rider  into  the  air,  and 
then  contemptuously  trample  them  into  the  dust. 

Crockett  was  almost  beside  himself  with  excite- 
ment. Looking  neither  to  the  right  nor  the  left, 
unconscious  in  what  direction  he  was  going,  he 
urged  forward,  with  whip*  and  spur,  the  little  mus- 
tang, to  the  utmost  speed  of  the  animal,  and  yet 
scarcely  in  the  least  diminished  the  distance  be- 
tween him  and  the  swift-footed  buffaloes.  Ere  long, 
it  was  evident  that  he  was  losing  in  the  chase.  But 
the  hunter,  thinking  that  the  buffaloes  could  not 
long  continue  their  flight  at  such  a-  speed,  and  that 
they  would  soon,  in  weariness,  loiter  and  stop  to 
graze,  vigorously  pressed  on,  though  his  jaded  beast 
was  rapidly  being  distanced  by  the  herd. 

At  length  the  enormous  moving  mass  appeared 


ADVENTURES   ON   THE  PRAIRIE.  317 

but  as  a  cloud  in  the  distant  horizon.  Still,  Crockett, 
his  mind  entirely  absorbed  in  the  excitement  of  the 
chase,  urged  his  weary  steed  on,  until  the  buffa- 
loes entirely  disappeared  from  view  in  the  distance. 
Crockett  writes : 

"  I  now  paused  to  allow  my  mustang  to  breathe, 
who  did  not  altogether  fancy  the  rapidity  of  my 
movements ;  and  to  consider  which  course  I  would 
have  to  take  to.  regain  the  path  I  had  abandoned. 
I  might  have  retraced  my  steps  by  following  the 
trail  of  the  buffaloes,  but  it  had  always  been  my 
principle  to  go  ahead,  and  so  I  turned  to  the  west 
and  pushed  forward. 

"  I  had  not  rode  more  than  an  hour  before 
I  found,  I  was  completely  bewildered.  I  looked 
around,  and  there  was,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach, 
spread  before  me  a  country  apparently  in  the  high- 
est state  of  cultivation — extended  fields,  beautiful 
and  productive,  groves  of  trees  cleared  from  the 
underwood,  and  whose  margins  were  as  regular  as 
if  the  art  and  taste  of  man  had  been  employed  upon 
them.  But  there  was  no  other  evidence  that  the 
sound  of  the  axe,  or  the  voice  of  man,  had  ever 
here  disturbed  the  solitude  of  nature.  My  eyes 
would  have  cheated  my  senses  into  the  belief  that  I 
was  in  an  earthly  paradise,  but  my  fears  told  me 
that  I  was  in  a  wilderness. 


318  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

"  I  pushed  along,  following  the  sun,  for  I  had  no 
compass  to  guide  me,  and  there  was  no  other  path 
than  that  which  my  mustang  made.  Indeed,  if  I 
had  found  a  beaten  tract,  I  should  have  been  almost 
afraid  to  have  followed  it ;  for  my  friend  the  bee- 
hunter  had  told  me,  that  once,  when  he  had  been 
lost  in  the  prairies,  he  had  accidentally  struck  into 
his  own  path,  and  had  travelled  around  and  around 
for  a  whole  day  before  he  discovered  his  error.  This 
I  thought  was  a  poor  way  of  going  ahead ;  so  I 
determined  to  make  for  the  first  large  stream,  and 
follow  its  course." 

For  several  hours  Crockett  rode  through  these 
vast  and  lonely  solitudes,  the  Eden  of  nature,  with- 
out meeting  with  the  slightest  trace  of  a  human 
being.  Evening  was  approaching,  still,  calm,  and 
bright.  The  most  singular  and  even  oppressive 
silence  prevailed,  for  neither  voice  of  bird  nor  insect 
was  to  be  heard.  Crockett  began  to  feel  very  uneasy. 
The  fact  that  he  was  lost  himself  did  not  trouble  him 
much,  but  he  felt  anxious  for  his  simple-minded, 
good-natured  friend,  the  juggler,  who  was  left  entire- 
ly alone  and  quite  unable  to  take  care  of  himself 
under  such  circumstances. 

As  he  rode  along,  much  disturbed  by  these  un- 
pleasant reflections,  another  novelty,  characteristic 
of  the  Great  West,  arrested  his  attention  and  elicited 


ADVENTURES   ON   THE   PRAIRIE.  319 

his  admiration.  He  was  just  emerging  from  a  very 
lovely  grove,  carpeted  with  grass,  which  grew  thidc 
and  green  beneath  the  leafy  canopy  which  overarched 
it.  There  was  not  a  particle  of  underbrush  to  ob- 
struct one's  movement  through  this  natural  park. 
Just  beyond  the  grove  there  was  another  expanse  of 
treeless  prairie,  so  rich,  so  beautiful,  so  brilliant  with 
flowers,  that  even  Colonel  Crockett,  all  unaccustomed 
as  he  was  to  the  devotional  mood,  reined  in  his 
horse,  and  gazing  entranced  upon  the  landscape, 
evclaimed  : 

"  O  God,  what  a  world  of  beauty  hast  thou  made 
for  man  !  And  yet  how  poorly  does  he  requite  thee 
for  it !  He  does  not  even  repay  thee  with  grati- 
tude." 

The  attractiveness  of  the  scene  was  enhanced  by 
a  drove  of  more  than  a  hundred  wild  horses,  really 
beautiful  animals,  quietly  pasturing.  It  seemed 
impossible  but  that  the  hand  of  man  must  have 
been  employed  in  embellishing  this  fair  creation. 
It  was  all  God's  work.  "  When  I  looked  around 
and  fully  realized  it  all,"  writes  Crockett,  "  I 
thought  of  the  clergyman  who  had  preached  to  me 
in  the  wilds  of  Arkansas." 

Colonel  Crockett  rode  out  upon  the  prairie. 
The  horses  no  sooner  espied  him  than,  excited,  but 
not  alarmed,  the  whole  drove,  with  neighings,  and 


320  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

tails  uplifted  like  banners,  commenced  coursing 
around  him  in  an  extended  circle,  which  gradually 
became  smaller  and  smaller,  until  they  came  in  close 
contact ;  and  the  Colonel,  not  a  little  alarmed,  found 
himself  completely  surrounded,  and  apparently  the 
prisoner  of  these  powerful  steeds. 

The  little  mustang  upon  which  the  Colonel  was 
mounted  seemed  very  happy  in  its  new  companion- 
ship. It  turned  its  head  to  one  side,  and  then  to 
the  6ther,sand  pranced  and  neighed,  playfully  biting 
at  the  mane  of  one  horse,  rubbing  his  nose  against 
that  of  another,  and  in  joyous  gambols  kicking  up 
its  heels.  The  Colonel  was  anxious  to  get  out  of 
the  mess.  But  his  little  mustang  was  not  at  all  dis- 
posed to  move  in  that  direction ;  neither  did  the 
other  horses  seem  disposed  to  acquiesce  in  such  a 
plan. 

Crockett's  heels  were  armed  with  very  formidable 
Spanish  spurs,  with  prongs  sharp  and  long.  The 
hunter  writes : 

"  To  escape  from  the  annoyance,  I  beat  the 
devil's  tattoo  on  his  ribs,  that  he  might  have  some 
music  to  dance  to,  and  we  went  ahead  right  merrily, 
the  whole  drove  following  in  our  wake,  head  up,  and 
tail  and  mane  streaming.  My  little  critter,  who  was 
both  blood  and  bottom,  seemed  delighted  at  being 
at  the  head  of  the  heap  ;  and  having  once  fairly  got 


ADVENTURES   ON  THE   PRAIRIE.  321 

started,  I  wish  I  may  be  shot  if  I  did  not  find  it 
impossible  to  stop  him.  He  kept  along,  tossing  his 
head  proudly,  and  occasionally  neighing,  as  much  as 
to  say,  "  Come  on,  my  hearties,  you  see  I  ha'n't  for- 
got our  old  amusement  yet."  And  they  did  come 
on  with  a  vengeance,  clatter,  clatter,  clatter,  as 
if  so  many  fiends  had  broke  loose.  The  prairie  lay 
extended  before  me  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach, 
and  I  began  to  think  that  there  would  be  no  end  to 
the  race. 

"  My  little  animal  was  full  of  fire  and  mettle,  and 
as  it  was  the  first  bit  of  genuine  sport  that  he  had 
had  for  some  time,  he  appeared  determined  to  make 
the  most  of  it.  He  kept  the'  lead  for  full  half  an 
hour,  frequently  neighing  as  if  in  triumph  and  deri- 
sion. I  thought  of  John  Gilpin's  celebrated  ride,  but 
that  was  child's  play  to  this.  The  proverb  says, 
'  The  race  is  not  always  to  the  swift,  nor  the  battle 
to  the  strong,'  and  so  it  proved  in  the  present  in- 
stance. My  mustang  was  obliged  to  carry  weight, 
while  his  competitors  were  as  free  as  nature  had 
made  them.  A  beautiful  bay,  who  had  trod  close 
upon  my  heels  the  whole  way,  now  came  side  by 
side  with  my  mustang,  and  we  had  it  hip  and  thigh 
for  about  ten  minutes,  in  such  style  as  would  have 
delighted  the  heart  of  a  true  lover  of  the  turf.  I 
now  felt  an  interest  in  the  race  myself,  and,  for  the 

14* 


322  .  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

credit  of  my  bit  of  blood,  determined  to  win  it  if  it 
was  at  all  in  the  nature  of  things.  I  plied  the  lash 
and  spur,  and  the  little  critter  took  it  quite  kind- 
ly, and  tossed  his  head,  and  neighed,  as  much  as 
to  say,  '  Colonel,  I  know  what  you're  after — go 
ahead  !  ' — and  he  cut  dirt  in  beautiful  style,  I  tell 
you." 

This  could  hot  last  long.  The  wild  steed  of  the 
prairie  soon,  outstripped  the  heavily  burdened  mus- 
tang, and  shooting  ahead,  kicked  up  his  heels  as  in 
derision.  The  rest  of  the  herd  followed,  in  the  same 
disrespectful  manner.  Crockett  jogged  quietly  on 
in  the  rear,  glad  to  be  rid  of  such  troublesome  and 
dangerous  companions.  The  horses  soon  reached 
a  stream,  which  Crockett  afterward  learned  was 
called  the  Navasola  River.  '  The  whole  herd,  follow- 
ing an  adventurous  leader,  rushed  pell-mell  into  the 
stream  and  swam  to  the  other  side.  It  was  a  beau- 
tiful sight  to  behold  these  splendid  animals,  in  such 
a  dense  throng,  crossing  the  stream,  and  then, 
refreshed  by  their  bath,  sweeping  like  a  whirlwind 
over  the  plain  beyond. 

Crockett's  exhausted  pony  could  go  no  further. 
He  fairly  threw  himself  upon  the  ground  as  if  in  de- 
spair. Crockett  took  from  the  exhausted  animal  the 
saddle,  and  left  the  poor  creature  to  roll  upon  the 
grass  and  graze  at  pleasure.  He  thought  it  not 


ADVENTURES   ON   THE   PRAIRIE.  323 

possible  that  the  mustang  could  wander  to  any  con- 
siderable distance.  Indeed,  he  fully  expected  to  find 
the  utterly  exhausted  beast,  who  could  no  longer 
stand  upon  his  legs,  dead  before  morning. 

Night  was  fast  closing  around  him.  He  began 
to  look  around  for  shelter.  There  was  a  large  tree 
blown  down  by  the  side  of  the  stream,  its  top  branch- 
ing out  very  thick  and  bushy.  Crockett  thought 
that  with  his  knife,  in  the  midst  of  that  dense  foliage 
with  its  interlacing  branches,  he  could  make  himself 
a  snug  arbor,  where,  wrapped  in  his  blanket,  he  could 
enjoy  refreshing  sleep.  He  approached  the  tree, 
and  began  to  work  among  the  almost  impervious 
branches,  when  he  heard  a  low  growl,  which  he  says 
he  interpreted  to  mean,  "  Stranger,  these  apartments 
are  already  taken." 

Looking  about  to  see  what  kind  of  an  animal  he 
had  disturbed,  and  whose  displeasure  he  had  mani- 
festly encountered,  he  saw  the  brilliant  eyes  glaring 
through  the  leaves  of  a  large  Mexican  cougar,  some- 
times called  the  panther  or  American  lion.  This 
animal,  endowed  with  marvellous  agility  and  strength, 
will  pounce  from  his  lair  on  a  deer,  and  even  a  buffalo, 
and  easily  with  tooth  and  claw  tear  him  to  pieces. 

He  was  not  more  than  five  or  six  paces  from  me," 
writes  Crockett,  "  and  was  eying, me  as  an  epicure 
surveys  the  table  before  he  selects  his  dish.  I  have 


324  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

no  doubt  the  cougar  looked  upon  me  as  the  subject 
of  a  future  supper.  Rays  of  light  darted  from  his 
large  eyes,  he  showed  his  teeth  like  a  negro  in  hys- 
terics, and  he  was  crouching  on  his  haunches  ready 
for  a  spring;  all  of  which  convinced  me  that  unless 
I  was  pretty  quick  upon  the  trigger,  posterity  would 
know  little  of  the  termination  of  my  eventful  career, 
and  it  would  be  far  less  glorious  and  useful  than  I 
intend  to  make  it." 

The  conflict  which  ensued  cannot  be  more  graph- 
ically described  than  in  Crocket's  own  words  : 

"  One  glance  satisfied  me  that  there  was  no  time 
to  be  lost.  There  was  no  retreat  either  for  me  or 
the  cougar.  So  I  levelled  my  Betsey  and  blazed 
away.  The  report  was  followed  by  a  furious  growl, 
and  the  next  moment,  when  I  expected  to  find  the 
tarnal  critter  struggling  with  death,  I  beheld  him 
shaking  his  head,  as  if  nothing  more  than  a  bee  had 
stung  him.  The  ball  had  struck  him  on  the  fore- 
head and  glanced  off,  doing  no  other  injury  than 
stunning  him  for  an  instant,  and  tearing  off  the 
skin,  which  tended  to  infuriate  him  the  more. 
The  cougar  wasn't  long  in  making  up  his  mind 
what  to  do,  nor  was  I  neither ;  but  he  would  have 
it  all  his  own  way,  and  vetoed  my  motion  to  back 
out.  I  had  not  retreated  three  steps  before  he 
sprang  at  me  like  a  steamboat ;  I  stepped  aside, 


ADVENTURES   ON   THE   PRAIRIE.  325 

and  as  he  lit  upon  the  ground,  I  struck  him  vio- 
lently with  the  barrel  of  my  rifle,  but  he  didn't 
mind  that,  but  wheeled  around  and  made  at  me 
again.  The  gun  was  now  of  no  use,  so  I  threw  it 
away,  and  drew  my  hunting-knife,  for  I  knew  we 
should  come  to  close  quarters  before  the  fight 
would  be  over.  This  time  he  succeeded  in  fasten- 
ing on  my  left  arm,  and  was  ust  beginning  to 
amuse  himself  by.  tearing  the  flesh  off  with  his 
fangs,  when  I  ripped  my  knife  into  his  side,  and  he 
let  go  his  hold,  much  to  my  satisfaction. 

"  He  wheeled  about  and  came  at  me  with  in- 
creased fury,  occasioned  by  the  smarting  of  his 
wounds.  I  now  tried  to  blind  him,  knowing  that  if 
I  succeeded  he  would  become  an  easy  prey ;  so  as  he 
approached  me  I  watched  my  opportunity,  and  aimed 
a  blow  at  his  eyes  with  my  knife  ;  but  unfortunately 
it  struck  him  on  the  nose,  and  he  paid  no  other 
attention  to  it  than  by  a  shake  of  the  head  and  a 
low  growl.  He  pressed  me  close,  and  as  I  was 
stepping  backward  my  foot  tripped  in  a  vine,  and  I 
fell  to  the  ground.  He  was  down  upon  me  like  a 
night-hawk  upon  a  June-bug.  He  seized  hold  of 
the  outer  part  of  my  right  thigh,  which  afforded 
him  considerable  amusement  ;  the  hinder  part  of 
his  body  was  towards  my  face  ;  I  grasped  his  tail 
with  my  left  hand,  and  tickled  his  ribs  with  my 


326  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

hunting-knife,  which  I  held  in  my  right.  Still  the 
critter  wouldn't  let  go  his  hold ;  and  as  I  found 
that  he  would  lacerate  my  leg  dreadfully  unless  he 
was  speedily  shaken  off,  I  tried  to  hurl  him  down 
the  bank  into  the  river,  for  our  scuffle  had  already 
brought  us  to  the  edge  of  the  bank.  I  stuck,  my 
knife  into  his  side,  and  summoned  all  my  strength 
to  throw  him  over.  He  resisted,  was  desperate 
heavy ;  but  at  last  I  got  him  so  far  down  the 
declivity  that  he  lost  his  balance,  and  he  rolled 
over  and  over  till  he  landed  on  the  margin  of  the 
river ;  but  in  his  fall  he  dragged  me  along  with 
him.  Fortunately,  I  fell  uppermost,  and  his  neck 
presented  a  fair  mark  for  my  hunting-knife.  With- 
out allowing  myself  time  even  to  draw  breath,  I 
aimed  one  desperate  blow  at  his  neck,  and  the 
knife  entered  his  gullet  up  to  the  handle,  and 
reached  his  heart.  He  struggled  for  a  few  'moments 
and  died.  I  have  had  many  fights  with  bears,  but 
that  was  mere  child's  play.  This  was  the  first  fight 
ever  I  had  with  a  cougar,  and  I  hope  it  may  be  the 
last." 

Crockett,  breathless  and  bleeding,  but  signally  a 
victor,  took  quiet  possession  of  the  treetop,  the 
conquest  of  which  he  had'  so  valiantly  achieved.  He 
parted  some  of  the  branches,  cut  away  others,  and 
intertwining  the  softer  twigs,  something  like  a  bird's 


ADVENTURES- ON  THE   PRAIRIE.  327 

nest,  made  for  himself  a  very  comfortable  bed. 
There  was  an  abundance  of  moss,  dry,  pliant,  and 
crispy,  hanging  in  festoons  from  the  trees.  This, 
spread  in  thick  folds  over  his  litter,  made  as  luxu- 
riant a  mattress  as  one  could  desire.  His  horse- 
blanket  being  laid  down  upon  this,  the  weary  trav- 
eller, with  serene  skies  above  him  and  a  gentle 
breeze  breathing  through  his  bower,  had  no  cause 
to  envy  the  occupant  of  the  most  luxurious  chamber 
wealth  can  furnish. 

He  speedily  prepared  for  himself  a  frugal  sup- 
per, carried  his  saddle  into  the  treetop,  and,  though 
oppressed  with  anxiety  in  view  of  the  prospect 
before  him,  fell  asleep,  and  in  blissful  unconscious- 
ness the  hours  passed  away  until  the  sun  was  rising 
in  the  morning.  Upon  awaking,  he  felt  very  stiff 
and  sore  from  the  wounds  he  had  received  in  his 
conflict  with  the  cougar.  Looking  over  the  bank, 
he  saw  the  dead  body  of  the  cougar  lying  there,  and 
felt  that  he  had  much  cause  of  gratitude  that  he 
had  escaped  so  great  a  danger. 

He  then  began  to  look  around  for  his  horse. 
But  the  animal  was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  He  as- 
cended one  of  the  gentle  swells  of  land,  whence  he 
could  look  far  and  wide  over  the  unobstructed 
prairie.  To  his  surprise,  and  not  a  little  to  his  con- 
sternation, the  animal  had  disappeared,  *'  without 


328  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

leaving  trace  of  hair  or  hide."  At  first  he  thought 
the  mustang  must  have  been  devoured  by  wolves 
or  some  other  beasts  of  prey.  But  then  it  was  mani- 
fest they  could  not  have  eaten  his  bones,  and  some- 
thing would  have  remained  to  indicate  the  fate  of 
the  poor  creature.  While  thus  perplexed,  Crockett 
reflected  sadly  that  he  was  lost,  alone  and  on  foot, 
on  the  boundless  prairie.  .He  was,  however,  too 
much  accustomed  to  scenes  of  the  wildest  adventure 
to  allow  himself  to  be  much  cast  down.  His  appe- 
tite was  not  disturbed,  and  he  began  to  feel  the 
cravings  of  hunger. 

He  took  his  rifle  and  stepped  out  in  search  of 
his  breakfast.  He  had  gone  but  a  short  distance 
ere  he  saw  a  large  flock  of  wild  geese,  on  the  bank 
of  the  river.  Selecting  a  large  fat  gander,  he  shot 
him,  soon  stripped  him  of  his  feathers,  built  a  fire, 
ran  a  stick  through  the  goose  for  a  spit,  and  then, 
supporting  it  on  two  sticks  with  prongs,  roasted  his 
savory  viand  in  the  most  approved  style.  He  had 
a  little  tin  cup  with  him,  and  a  paper  of  ground 
coffee,  with  which  he  made  a  cup  of  that  most 
refreshing  beverage.  Thus  he  breakfasted  sumptu- 
ously. 

He  was  just  preparing  to  depart,  with  his  saddle 
upon  his  shoulder,  much  perplexed  as  to  .the  course 
he  should  pursue,  when  he  was  again  alarmed  by 


ADVENTURES   ON  THE   PRAIRIE.  329 

one  of  those  wild  scenes  ever  occurring  in  the  West. 
First  faintly,  then  louder  and  louder  came  the  sound 
as  of  the  trampling  of  many  horses  on  the  full 
gallop.  His  first  thought  was  that  another  enor- 
mous herd  of  buffaloes  was  sweeping  down  upon 
him.  But  soon  he  saw,  in  the  distance,  a  band  of 
about  fifty  Comanche  Indians,  well  mounted,  painted, 
plumed,  and  bannered,  the  horse  and  rider  apparent- 
ly one  animal,  coming  down  upon  him,  their  horses 
being  urged  to  the  utmost  speed.  It  was  a  sublime 
and  yet  an  appalling  spectacle,  as  this  band  of  half- 
naked  savages,  their  spears  glittering  in  the  morning 
sun,  and  their  long  hair  streaming  behind,  came 
rushing  on. 

Crockett  was  standing  in  full  view  upon  the 
banks  of  the  stream.  The  column  swept  on,  and, 
with  military  precision,  as  it  approached,  divided 
into  two  semicircles,  and  in  an  instant  the  two  ends 
of  the  circle  reached  the  river,  and  Crockett  was 
surrounded.  Three  of  the  savages  performed  the 
part  of  trumpeters,  and  with  wonderful  resem- 
blance, from  their  lips,  emitted  the  pealing  notes  of 
the  bugle.  Almost  by  instinct  he  grasped  his  rifle, 
but  a  flash  of  thought  taught  him  that,  under  the 
circumstances,  any  attempt  at  resistance  would  be 
worse  than  unavailing. 

The  chief  sprang  from   his  horse,  and  advancing 


330  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

with  proud  strides  toward  Crockett,  was  struck 
with  admiration  at  sight  of  his  magnificent  rifle. 
Such  a  weapon,  with  such  rich  ornamentation,  had 
never  before  been  seen  on  the  prairies.  The  eager- 
ness with  which  the  savage  regarded  the  gun  led 
Crockett  to  apprehend  that  he  intended  to  appro- 
priate it  to  himself. 

The  Comanches,  though  a  very  warlike  tribe, 
had  held  much  intercourse  with  the  Americans,  and 
friendly  relations  then  existed  between  them  and 
our  Government.  Crockett,  addressing  the  chief, 
said: 

"  Is  your  nation  at  war  with  the  Americans  ?  " 

"  No,"  was  the  reply ;  "  they  are  our  friends." 

"  And  where,"  Crockett  added,  "  do  your  get 
your  spear-heads,  your  rifles,  your  blankets,  and 
your  knives  ?" 

"  We  get  them  from  our  friends  the  Americans," 
the  chief  replied. 

"  Well,"  said  Crockett,  "  do  you  think  that  if 
you  were  passing  through  their  country,  as  I  am 
passing  through  yours,  they  would  attempt  to  rob 
you  of  your  property?  " 

"  No,"  answered  the  savage  ;  "  they  would  feed 
me  and  protect  me.  And  the  Comanche  will  do 
the  same  by  his  white  brother." 

Crockett  then  inquired   of  the  chief  what  had 


ADVENTURES   ON   THE   PRAIRIE.  331 

guided  him  and  his  party  to  the  spot  where  they 
had  found  him?  The  chief  said  that  they  were  at 
a  great  distance,  but  had  seen  the  smoke  from  his 
fire,  and  had  come  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  it. 

"  He  inquired,"  writes  Crockett,  "  what  had 
brought  me  there  alone.  I  told  him  I  had  come  to 
hunt,  and  that  my  mustang  had  become  exhausted, 
and,  though  I  thought  he  was  about  to  die,  that  he 
had  escaped  from  me.  At  this  the  chief  gave  a 
low  chuckling  laugh,  and  said  that  it  was  all  a  trick 
of  the  mustang,  which  is  the  most  wily  and  cun- 
ning of  all  animals.  But  he  said  that  as  I  was  a  brave 
hunter,  he  would  furnish  me  with  another.  He 
gave  orders,  and  a  fine  young  horse  was  immediately 
brought  forward. 

The  "savages  'speedily  discovered  the  dead  body 
of  the  cougar,  and  commenced  skinning  him.  They 
were  greatly  surprised  on  seeing  the  number  of  the 
stabs,  and  inquired  into  the  cause.  When  Crockett 
explained  to  them  the  conflict,  the  proof  of  which 
was  manifest  in  his  own  lacerated  skin,  and  in  the 
wounds  inflicted  upon  the  cougar,  they  were  greatly 
impressed  with  the  valor  he  had  displayed.  The 
chief  exclaimed  several  times,  in  tones  of  commin- 
gled admiration  and  astonishment,  "  Brave  hunter  ! 
brave  man  !  "  .  He  also  expressed  the  earnest  wish 
that  Crockett  would -'Consent  to  be  adopted  as  a  son 


332  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

of  the  tribe.  But  this  offer  was  respectfully  de- 
clined. 

This  friendly  chief  kindly  consented  to  escort 
Crockett  as  far  as  the  Colorado  River.  Crockett  put 
his  saddle  on  a  fresh  horse,  and  having  mounted, 
the  chief,  with  Crockett  at  his  side,  took  the  lead, 
and  off  the  whole  band  went,  scouring  over  the 
pathless  prairie  at  a  rapid  speed.  Several  of  the 
band  were  squaws.  They  were  the  trumpeters. 
They  made  the  prairie  echo  with  their  bugle-blasts, 
or,  as  Crockett  irreverently,  but  perhaps  more  cor- 
rectly says,  "  The  old  squaws,  at  the  head  of  the 
troop,  were  braying  like  young  jackasses  the  whole 
way." 

After  thus  riding  over  the  green  and  treeless 
expanse  for  about  three  hours,  they  came  upon  a 
drove  of  wild  horses,  quietly  pasturing  on  the  rich 
herbage.  One  of  the  Indians  immediately  prepared 
his  lasso,  and  darted  out  toward  the  herd  to  make  a 
capture.  The  horses  did  not  seem  to  be  alarmed  by 
his  approach,  but  when  he  got  pretty  nigh  them 
they  began  to  circle  around  him,  keeping  at  a  cau- 
tious distance,  with  their  heads  elevated  and  with 
loud  neighings.  They  then,  following  the  leader- 
ship of  a  splendid  stallion,  set  off  on  a  brisk  canter, 
and  soon  disappeared  beyond  the  undulations  of  the 
prairie. 


ADVENTURES   ON  THE   PRAIRIE.  333 

One  of  the  mustangs  remained  quietly  grazing. 
The  Indian  rode  to  within  a  few  yards  of  him,  and 
very  skilfully  threw  his  lasso.  The  mustang  seemed 
to  be  upon  the  watch,  for  he  adroitly  dodged  his 
head  between  his  forefeet  and  thus  escaped  the 
fatal  noose.  The  Indian  rode  up  to  him,  and  the 
horse  patiently  submitted  to  be  bridled  and  thus 
secured. 

"  When  I  approached,"  writes  Crockett,  "  I  imme- 
diately recognized,  in  the  captive,  the  pestilent  little 
animal  that  had  shammed  sickness  and  escaped  from 
me  the  day  before.  And  when  he  caught  my  eye 
he  cast  down  his  head  and  looked  rather  sheepish, 
as  if  he  were  sensible  and  ashamed  of  the  dirty  trick 
he  had  played  me.  I  expressed  my  astonishment,  to 
the  Indian  chief,  at  the  mustang's  allowing  himself 
to  be  captured  without  any  effort  to  escape.  He 
told  me  that  they  were  generally  hurled  to  the 
ground  with  such  violence,  when  first  taken  with 
the  lasso,  that  they  remembered  it  ever  after;  and 
that  the  sight  of  the  lasso  will  subdue  them  to  sub- 
mission, though  they  may  have  run  wild  for  years." 

All  the  day  long,  Crockett,  with  his  convoy  of 
friendly  savages,  travelled  over  the  beautiful  prairie. 
Toward  evening  they  came  across  a  drove  of  fat 
buffaloes  grazing  in  the  richest  of  earthly  pastures. 
It  was  a  beautiful  sight  to  witness  the  skill  with 


334  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

which  the  Indians  pursued  and  hunted  down  the 
noble  game.  Crockett  was  quite  charmed  with  the 
spectacle.  It  is  said  that  the  Comanche  Indians  are 
the  finest  horsemen  in  the  world.  Always  wander- 
ing about  over  the  boundless  prairies,  where  wild 
horses  are  found  in  countless  numbers,  they  are 
ever  on  horseback,  men,  women,  and  children.  Even 
infants,  almost  in  their  earliest  years,  are  taught  to 
cling  to  the  mane  of  the  horse.  Thus  the  Comanche 
obtains  the  absolute  control  of  the  animal ;  and  when 
scouring  over  the  plain,  bareheaded  and  with  scanty 
dress,  the  horse  and  rider  seem  veritably  like  one 
person. 

The  Comanches  were  armed  only  with  bows- and 
arrows.  The  herd  early  took  fright,  and  fled  with 
such  speed  that  the  somewhat  exhausted  horses  of 
the  Comanches  could  not  get  within  arrow-shot  of 
them.  Crockett,  however,  being  well  mounted  and 
unsurpassed  by  any  Indian  in  the  arts  of  hunting, 
selected  a  fat  young  heifer,  which  he  knew  would  fur- 
nish tender  steaks,  and  with  his  deadly  bullet  struck 
it  down.  This  was  the  only  beef  that  was  killed. 
All  the  rest  of  the  herd  escaped. 

The  Indians  gathered  around  the  slain  animal  for 
their  feast.  With  their  sharp  knives  the  heifer  was 
soon  skinned  and  cut  up  into  savory  steaks  and  roast- 
ing-pieces.  Two  or  three  fires  were  built.  The  horses 


ADVENTURES   ON   THE   PRAIRIE.  335 

were  hobbled  and  turned  loose  to  graze.  Every 
one  of  the  Indians  selected  his  own  portion,  and  all 
were  soon  merrily  and  even  affectionately  engaged 
in  this  picnic  feast,  beneath  skies  which  Italy  never 
rivalled,  and  surrounded  with  the  loveliness  of  a  park 
surpassing  the  highest  creations  of  art  in  London, 
Paris,  or  New  York. 

The  Indians  were  quite  delighted  with  their 
guest.  He  told  them  stories  of  his  wild  hunting 
•excursions,  and  of  his  encounters  with  panthers  and 
bears.  They  were  charmed  by  his  narratives,  and 
they  sat  eager  listeners  until  late  into  the  night, 
beneath  the  stars  and  around  the  glowing  camp-fires. 
Then,  wrapped  in  their  blankets,  they  threw  them- 
selves down  on  the  thick  green  grass  and  slept.  Such 
are  the  joys  of  peace  and  friendship. 

They  resumed  their  jour.ney  in  the  morning,  and 
pressed  along,  with  nothing  of  special  interest  occur- 
ring until  they  reached  the  Colorada  River.  As 
they  were  following  down  this  stream,  to  strike  the 
road  which  leads  to  Bexar,  they  saw  in  the  distance 
a  single. column  of  smoke  ascending  the  clear  sky. 
Hastening  toward  it,  they  found  that  it  rose  from  the 
centre  of  a  small  grove  near  the  river.  When  with- 
in a  few  hundred  yards  the  warriors  extended  their 
line,  so  as  nearly  to  encircle  the  grove,  while  the 
chief  and  Crockett  advanced  cautiously  to  recon- 


33^  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

noitre.  To  their  surprise  they  saw  a  solitary  man 
seated  upon  the  ground  near  the  fire,  so  entirely 
absorbed  in  some  occupation  that  he  did  not  observe 
their  approach. 

In  a  moment,  Crockett,  much  to  his  joy,  perceived 
that  it  was  his  lost  friend  the  juggler.  He  was  all 
engaged  in  practising  his  game  of  thimbles  on  the 
crown  of  his  hat.  Crockett  was  now  restored  to  his 
companion,  and  was  near  the  plain  road  to  Bexar. 
In  describing  this  scene  and  the  departure  of  his' 
kind  Indian  friends,  the  hunter  writes  : 

"  The  chief  shouted  the  war-whoop,  and  suddenly 
the  warriors  came  rushing  in  from  all  quarters,  pre- 
ceded by  the  old  squaw  trumpeters  squalling  like 
mad.  The  conjurer  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  was 
ready  to  sink  into  the  earth  when  he  beheld  the 
ferocious-looking  fellows  that  surrounded  him.  I 
stepped  up,  took  him  by  the  hand,  and  quieted  his 
fears.  I  told  the  chief  that  he  was  a  friend  of  mine, 
and  I  was  very  glad  to  have  found  him,  for  I  was  afraid 
that  he  had  perished.  I  now  thanked  him  for  his 
kindness  in  guiding  me  over  the  prairies,  and  gave 
him  a  large  bowie-knife,  which  he  said  he  would 
keep  for  the  sake  of  the  brave  hunter.  The  whole 
squadron  then  wheeled  off,  and  I  saw  them  no  more. 
I  have  met  with  many  polite  men  in  my  time,  but 
no  one  who  possessed  in  a  greater  degree  what 


ADVENTURES   ON   THE   PRAIRIE.  337 

may  be  called  trjje  spontaneous  politeness  than  this 
Comanche  chief,  always  excepting  Philip  Hone,  Esq., 
of  New  York,  whom  I  look  upon  as  the  politest 
man  I  ever  did  see ;  for  when  he  asked  me  to  take 
a  drink  at  his  own  sideboard,  he  turned  his  back  upon 
me,  that  I  mightn't  be  ashamed  to  fill  as  much  as  I 
wanted.  That  was  what  I  call  doing  the  fair  thing." 
The  poor  juggler  was  quite  overjoyed  in  meeting 
his  friend  again,  whom  he  evidently  regarded  with 
much  reverence.  He  said  that  he  was  very  much 
alarmed  when  he  found  himself  alone  on  the  path- 
less prairie.  After  waiting  two  hours  in  much  anxiety, 
he  mounted  his  mustang,  and  was  slowly  retracing  his 
steps,  when  he  spied  the  bee-hunter  returning.  He 
was  laden  with  honey.  They  had  then  journeyed 
Dn  together  to  the  present  spot.  The  hunter  had 
just  gone  out  in  search  of  game.  He  soon  returned 
with  a  plump  turkey  upon  his  shoulders.  They 
built  their  fire,  and  were  joyously  cooking  their  sup- 
per, when  the  neighing  of  a  horse  near  by  startled 
them.  Looking  up,  they  saw  two  men  approaching 
on  horseback.  They  proved  to  be  the  old  pirate  and 
the  young  Indian  with  whom  they  had  lodged  a  few 
nights  before.  Upon  being  hailed  they  alighted,  and 
politely  requested  permission  to  join  their  party. 
This  was  gladly  assented  to,  as  they  were  now  enter- 
ing a  region  desolated  by  the  war  between  the 
IS 


338  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

Texans  and  the  Mexicans,  and  where  many  small 
bands  of  robbers  were  wandering,  ready  to  plunder 
any  weaker  party  they  might  encounter. 

The  next  morning  they  crossed  the  river  and 
pushed  on  for  the  fortress  of  Alamo.  When  with- 
in about  twenty  miles  of  San  Antonio,  they  beheld 
about  fifteen  mounted  men,  well  armed,  approach- 
ing them  at  full  speed.  Crockett's  party  numbered 
five.  They  immediately  dismounted,  made  a  ram- 
part of  their  horses,  and  with  the  muzzles  of  their 
rifles  pointed  toward  the  approaching  foe,  were  pre- 
pared for  battle. 

'  It  was  a  party  of  Mexicans.  When  within  a  few 
hundred  yards  they  reined  in  their  horses,  and  the 
leader,  advancing  a  little,  called  out  to  them  in 
Spanish  to  surrender. 

"  We  must  have  a  brush  with  those  blackguards," 
said  the  pirate.  "  Let  each  one  single  out  his  man 
for  the  first  fire.  They  are  greater  fools  than  I  take 
them  for  if  they  give  us  a  chance  for  a  second  shot. 
Colonel,  just  settle  the  business  with  that  talking 
fellow  with  the  red  feather.  He's  worth  any  three 
of  the  party." 

"  Surrender,  or  we  fire  !  "  shouted  the  fellow  with 
the  red  feather.  The  pirate  replied,  with  a  piratic 
oath,  "  Fire  away." 

"  And    sure    enough,"   writes   Crockett,    "  they 


ADVENTURES   ON   THE   PRAIRIE.  339 

took  his  advice,  for  the  next  minute  we  were  sa- 
luted with  a  discharge  of  musketry,  the  report  of 
which  was  so  loud  that  we  were  convinced  they  all 
had  fired.  Before  the  smoke  had  cleared  away  we 
had  each  selected  our  man,  fired,  and  I  never  did 
see  such  a  scattering  among  their  ranks  as  followed. 
We  beheld  several  mustangs  running  wild  without 
their  riders  over  the  prairie,  and  the  balance  of  the 
company  were  already  retreating  at  a  more  rapid 
gait  than  they  approached.  We  hastily  mounted, 
and  commenced  pursuit,  which  we  kept  up  until  we 
beheld  the  independent  flag  flying  from  the  battle- 
ments of  the  fortress  of  Alamo,  our  place  of  desti- 
nation. The  fugitives  succeeded  in  evading  our 
pursuit,  and  we  rode  up  to  the  gates  of  the  fortress, 
announced  to  the  sentinel  who  we  were,  and  the 
gates  were  thrown  open  ;  and  we  entered  amid 
shouts  of  welcome  bestowed  upon  us  by  the  pa- 
triots." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Conclusion. 

The  Fortress  of  Alamo.  —  Colonel  Bowie.  —  Bombardment  of  the 
Fort. — Crockett's  Journal. — Sharpshooting. — Fight  outside  of  the 
Fort. — Death  of  the  Bee  Hunter. — Kate  of  Nacogdoches. — 
Assault  on  the  Citadel.— Crockett  a  Prisoner.— His  Death. 

THE  fortress  of  Alamo  is  just  outside  of  the 
town  of  Bexar,  on  the  San  Antonio  River.  The 
town  is  about  one  hundred  and  forty  miles  from  the 
coast,  and  contained,  at  that  time,  about  twelve 
hundred  inhabitants.  Nearly  all  were  Mexicans, 
though  there  were  a  few  American  families.  In  the 
year  1718,  the  Spanish  Government  had  established 
a  military  outpost  here  ;  and  in  the  year  1721,  a 
few  emigrants  from  Spain  commenced  a  flourishing 
settlement  at  this  spot.  Its  site  is  beautiful,  the 
air  salubrious,  the  soil  highly  fertile,-and  the  water 
of  crystal  purity. 

The  town  of  Bexar  subsequently  received  the 
name,  of  San  Antonio.  On  the  tenth  of  December, 
1835,  the  Texans  captured  the  town  and  citadel 
from  the  Mexicans.  These  Texan  Rangers  v/ere 
rude  men,  who  had  but  little  regard  for  the  refine- 
ments or  humanities  of  civilization.  When  Crockett 


CONCLUSION.  341 

with  his  companions  arrived,  Colonel  Bowie,  of 
Louisiana,  one  of  the  most  desperate  of  Western 
adventurers,  was  in  the  fortress.  The  celebrated 
bowie-knife  was  named,  after  this  man.  There  was 
but  a  feeble  garrison,  and  it  was  threatened  with  an 
attack  by  an  overwhelming  force  of  Mexicans  under 
Santa  Anna.  Colonel  Travis  was  in  command.  He 
was  very  glad  to  receive  even  so  small  a  reinforce- 
ment. The  fame  of  Colonel  Crockett,  as  one  of  the 
bravest  of  men,  had  already  reached  his  ears. 

"  While  we  were  conversing,"  writes  Crockett, 
"  Colonel  Bowie  had  occasion  to  draw  his  famous 
knife,  and  I  wish  I  may  be  shot  if  the  bare  sight  of 
it  wasn't  enough  to  give  a  man  of  a  squeamish  stom- 
ach the  colic.  He  saw  I  was  admiring  it,  and  said 
he,  '  Colonel,  you  might  tickle  a  fellow's  ribs  a  long 
time  with  this  little  instrument  before  you'd  make 
make  him  laugh.'  " 

According  to  Crockett's  account,  many  shameful 
orgies  took  place  in  the  little  garrison.  They  were 
evidently  in  considerable  trepidation,  for  a  large 
force  was  gathering  against  them,  and  they  could 
not  look  for  any  considerable  reinforcements  from 
any  quarter.  Rumors  were  continually  reaching 
them  of  the  formidable  preparations  Santa  Anna 
was  making  to  attack  the  place.  Scouts  ere  long 
brought  in' the  tidings  that  Santa  Anna,  President  of 


342  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

the  Mexican  Republic,  at  the  head  of  sixteen  hun- 
dred soldiers,  and  accompanied  by  several  of  his  ablest 
generals,  was  within  six  miles  of  Bexar.  It  was  said 
that  he  was  doing  everything  in  his  power  to  enlist 
the  warlike  Comanches  in  his  favor,  but  that  they 
remained  faithful  in  their  friendship  to  the  United 
States. 

Early  in  the  month  of  February,  1836,  the  army 
of  Santa  Anna  appeared  before  the  town,  with 
infantry,  artillery,  and  cavalry.  With  military  pre- 
cision they  approached,  their  banners  waving,  and 
their  bugle-notes  bearing  defiance  to  the  feeble  little 
garrison.  The  Texan  invaders,  seeing  that  they 
would  soon  be  surrounded,  abandoned  the  town  to 
the  enemy,  and  fled  to  the  protection  of  the  citadel. 
They  were  but  one  hundred  and  fifty  in  number. 
Almost  without  exception  they  were  hardy  adven- 
turers, and  the  most  fearless  and  desperate  of  men. 
They  had  previously  stored  away  in  the  fortress  all 
the  provisions,  arms,  and  ammunition,  of  which 
they  could  avail  themselves.  Over  the  battlements 
they  unfurled  an  immense  flag  of  thirteen  stripes, 
and  with  a  large  white  star  of  five  points,  surrounded 
by  the  letters  "  Texas."  As  they  raised  their  flag, 
they  gave  three  cheers,  while  with  drums  and  trum- 
pets they  hurled  back  their  challenge  to  the  foe. 

The  Mexicans  raised  over  the  town  a  blood-red 


CONCLUSION.  343 

banner.  It  was  their  significant  intimation  to  the 
garrison  that  no  quarter  was  be  expected.  Santa 
Anna,  having  advantageously  posted  his  troops,  in 
the  afternoon  sent  a  summons  to  Colonel  Travis, 
demanding  an  unconditional  surrender,  threatening, 
in  case  of  refusal,  to  put  every  man  to  the  sword. 
The  only  reply  Colonel  Travis  made  was  to  throw  a 
cannon-shot  into  the  town.  The  Mexicans  then 
opened  fire  from  their  batteries,  but  without  doing 
much  harm. 

In  the  night,  Colonel  Travis  sent  the  old  pirate 
on  an  express  to  Colonel  Fanning,  who,  with  a  small 
military  force,  was  at  Goliad,  to  entreat  him  to  come 
to  his  aid.  Goliad  was  about  four  days'  march  from 
Bexar.  The  next  morning  the  Mexicans  renewed 
their  fire  from  a  battery  about  three  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  from  the  fort.  A  three-ounce  ball  struck 
the  juggler  on  the  breast,  inflicting  a  painful  but  not 
a  dangerous  wound. 

Day  after  day  this  storm  of  war  continued.  The 
walls  of  the  citadel  were  strong,  and  the  bombard- 
ment inflicted  but  little  injury.  The  sharpshoot- 
ers within  the  fortress  struck  down  many  of  the 
assailants  at  great  distances. 

"  The  bee-hunter,"  writes  Crockett,  "  is  about  the 
quickest  on  the  trigger,  and  the  best  rifle-shot  we 
have  in  the  fort.  I  have  already  seen  him  bring 


344  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

down  eleven  of  the  ene/ny,  and  at  such  a  distance 
that  we  all  thought  that  it  would  be  a  waste  of 
ammunition  to  attempt  it."  Provisions  were  begin- 
ning to  become  scarce,  and  the  citadel  was  so  sur- 
rounded that  it  was  impossible  for  the  garrison  to 
cut  its  way  through  the  lines  and  escape. 

Under  date  of  February  28th,  Crockett  writes  in 
his  Journal: 

"  Last  night  our  hunters  brought  in  some  corn, 
and  had  a  brush  with  a  scout  from  the  enemy 
beyond  gunshot  of  the  fort.  They  put  the  scout 
to  flight,  and  got  in  without  injury.  They  bring 
accounts  that  the  settlers  are  flying  in  all  quar- 
ters, in  dismay,  leaving  their  possessions  to  the 
mercy  of  the  ruthless  invader,  who  is  literally 
engaged  in  a  war  of  extermination  more  brutal  than 
the  untutored  savage  of  the  desert  could  be  guilty 
of.  Slaughter  is  indiscriminate,  sparing  neither  sex, 
age,  nor  condition.  Buildings  have  been  burnt 
down,  farms  laid  waste,  and  Santa  Anna  appears 
determined  to  verify  his  threat,  and  convert  the 
blooming  paradise  into  a  howling  wilderness.  For 
just  one  fair  crack  at  that  rascal,  even  at  a  hundred 
yards'  distance,  I  would  bargain  to  break  my  Bet- 
sey, and  never  pull  trigger  again.  My  name's  not 
Crockett  if  I  wouldn't  get  glory  enough  to  appease 
my  stomach  for  the  remainder  of  my  life. 


CONCLUSION.  345 

"  The  scouts  report  that  a  settler  by  the  name 
of  Johnson,  flying  with  his  wife  and  three  little 
children,  when  they  reached  the  Colorado,  left  his 
family  on  the  shore,  and  waded  into  the  river  to  see 
whether  it  would  be  safe  to  ford  with  his  wagon. 
When  about  the  middle  of  the  river  he  was  seized 
by  an  alligator,  and  after  a  struggle  was  dragged 
under  the  water,  and  perished.  The  helpless  woman 
and  her  babes  were  discovered,  gazing  in  agony  on 
the  spot,  by  other  fugitives,  who -happily  passed  that 
way,  and  relieved  them.  Those  who  fight  the  bat- 
tles experience  but  a  small  part  of  the  privation, 
suffering,  and  anguish  that  follow  in  the  train  of 
ruthless  war.  The  cannonading  continued  at  inter- 
vals throughout  the  day,  and  all  hands  were  kept  up 
to  their  work." 

The  next  day  he  writes :  "  I  had  a  little  sport 
this  morning  before  breakfast.  The  enemy  had 
planted  a  piece  of  ordnance  within  gunshot  of  the 
fort  during  the  night,  and  the  first  thing  in  the 
morning  they  commenced  a  brisk  cannonade,  point 
blank  against  the  spot  where  I  was  snoring.  I  turned 
out  pretty  smart  and  mounted  the  rampart.  The 
gun  was  charged  again  ;  a  fellow  stepped  forth  to 
touch  her  off,  but  before  he  could  apply  the  match, 
I  let  him  have  it,  and  he  keeled  over.  A  second 
stepped  up,  snatched  the  match  from  the  hand 
'5* 


346  DAVID  CROCKETT. 

of  the  dying  man,  but  the  juggler,  who  had  followed 
me,  handed  me-  his  rifle,  and  the  next  instant  the 
Mexican  was  stretched  on  the  earth  beside  the  first. 
A  third  came  up  to  the  cannon.  My  companion 
handed  me  another  gun,  and  I  fixed  him  off  in  like 
manner.  A  fourth,  then  a  fifth  seized  the  match, 
who  both  met  with  the  same  fate.  Then  the  whole 
party  gave  it  up  as  a  bad  job,  and  hurried  off  to  the 
camp,  leaving  the  cannon  ready  charged  where  they 
had  planted  it.  I  came  down,  took  my  bitters,  and 
went  to  breakfast." 

In  the  course  of  a  week  the  Mexicans  lost  three 
hundred  men.  But  still  reinforcements  were  con- 
tinually arriving,  so  that  their  numbers  were  on  the 
rapid  increase.  The  garrison  no  longer  cherished  any 
hope  of  receiving  aid  from  abroad. 

Under  date  of  March  4th  and  5th,  1836,  we  have 
the  last  lines  which  Crockett  ever  penned. 

"  March  4^/2.  Shells  have  been  falling  into  the  fort 
like  hail  during  the  day,  but  without  effect.  About 
dusk,  in  the  evening,  we  observed  a  man  running 
toward  the  fort,  pursued  by  about  half  a  dozen  of  the 
Mexican  cavalry.  The  bee-hunter  immediately  knew 
him  to  be  the  old  pirate,  who  had  gone  to  Goliad, 
and,  calling  to  the  two  hunters,  he  sallied  out  of  the 
fort  to  the  relief  of  the  old  man,  who  was  hard 
pressed.  I  followed  close  after.  Before  we  reached 


CONCLUSION.  347 

the  spot  the  Mexicans  were  close  on  the  heels  of  the 
old  man,  who  stopped  suddenly,  turned  short  upon 
his  pursuers,  discharged  his  rifle,  and  one  of  the 
enemy  fell  from  his  horse.  The  chase  was  renewed, 
but  finding  that  he  would  be  overtaken  and  cut  to 
pieces,  he  now  turned  again,  and,  to  the  amazement 
of  the  enemy,  became  the  assailant  in  his  turn.  He 
clubbed  his  gun,  and  dashed  among  them  like  a 
wounded  tiger,  and  they  fled  like  sparrows.  By  this 
time  we  reached  the  spot,  and,  in  the  ardor  of  the 
moment,  followed  some  distance  before  we  saw  that 
our  retreat  to  the  fort  was  cut  off  by  another  detach- 
ment of  cavalry.  Nothing  was  to  be  done  but  fight 
to  our  way  through.  We  were  all  of  the  same  mind. 
'  Go  ahead  !  '  cried  I  :  and  they  shouted,  '  Go 
ahead,  Colonel ! '  We  dashed  among  them,  and  a 
bloody  conflict  ensued.  They  were  about  twenty 
in  number,  and  they  stood  their  ground.  After  the 
fight  had  continued  about  five  minutes,  a  detach- 
ment was  seen  issuing  from  the  fort  to  our  relief,  and 
the  Mexicans  scampered  off,  leaving  eight  of  their 
comrades  dead  upon  the  field.  But  we  did  not 
escape  unscathed,  for  both  the  pirate  and  the  bee- 
hunter  were  mortally  wounded,  and  I  received  a 
sabre-cut  across  the  forehead.  The  old  man  died 
without  speaking,  as  soon  as  we  entered  the  fort. 
We  bore  my  young  friend  to  his  bed,  dressed  his 


348  DAVID  CROCKETT. 

wounds,  and  I  watched  beside  him.  He  lay,  with- 
out complaint  or  manifesting  pain,  until  about 
midnight,  when  he  spoke,  and  I  asked  him  if 
wanted  anything.  '  Nothing,'  he  replied,  but  drew 
a  sigh  that  seemed  to  rend  his  heart,  as  he  added, 
'  Poor  Kate  of  Nacogdoches.'  His  eyes  were  rilled 
with  tears,  as  he  continued,  '  Her  words  were  pro- 
phetic, Colonel ; '  and  then  he  sang  in  a  low  voice, 
that  resembled  the  sweet  notes  of  his  own  devoted 
Kate: 

'  But  toom  cam'  the  saddle,  all  bluidy  to  see, 
And  hame  came  the  steed,  but  hame  never  came  he.' 

He  spoke  no  more,  and  a  few  minutes  after  died. 
Poor  Kate,  who  will  tell  this  to  thee  ?  " 

The  romantic  bee-hunter  had  a  sweetheart  by 
the  name  of  Kate  in  Nacogdoches.  She  seems  to 
have  been  a  very  affectionate  and  religious  girl.  In 
parting,  she  had  presented  her  lover  with  a  Bible, 
and  in  anguish  of  spirit  had  expressed  her  fears 
that  he  would  never  return  from  his  perilous  enter- 
prise. 

The  next  day,  Crockett  simply  writes,  "  March 
%th.  Pop,  pop,  pop  !  Bom,  bom,  bom  !  through- 
out the  day.  No  time  for  memorandums  now.  Go 
ahead  !  Liberty  and  Independence  forever." 

Before  daybreak  on  the  6th  of  Mareh,  the  cita- 
del of  the  Alamo  was  assaulted  by  the  whole  Mex- 


CONCLUSION.  349 

ican  army,  then  numbering  about  three  thousand 
men.  Santa  Anna  in  person  commanded.  The 
assailants  swarmed  "over  the  works  and  into  the 
fortress.  The  battle  was  fought  .with  the  utmost 
desperation  until  daylight.  Six  only  of  the  garrison 
then  remained  alive.  They  were  surrounded,  and 
they  surrendered.  Colonel  Crockett  was  one.  He 
at  the  time  stood  alone  in  an  angle  of  the  fort,  like 
a  lion  at  bay.  His  eyes  flashed  fire,  his  shattered 
rifle  in  his  right  hand,  and  in  his  left  a  gleaming 
bowie-knife,  streaming  with  blood.  His  face  was 
covered  with  blood  flowing  from  a  deep  gash  across 
his  forehead.  About  twenty  Mexicans,  dead  and 
dying,  were  lying  at  his  feet.  The  juggler  was  also 
there  dead.  With  one  hand -he  was  clenching  the 
hair  of  a  dead  Mexican,  while  with  the  other  he 
had  driven  his  knife  to  the  haft  in  the  bosom  of 
his  foe. 

The  Mexican  General  Castrillon,  to  whom  the 
prisoners  had  surrendered,  wished  to  spare  their 
lives.  He  led  them  to  that  part  of  the  fort  where 
Santa  Anna  stood  surrounded  by  his  staff.  As 
Castrillon  marched  his  prisoners  into  the  presence 
of  the  President,  he  said : 

"  Sir,  here  are  six  prisoners  I  have  taken  alive. 
How  shall  I  dispose  of  them  ?  " 

Santa   Anna  seemed  much   annoyed,  and  said, 


350  DAVID   CROCKETT. 

"  Have  I  not  told  you  before  how  to  dispose  of 
them  ?  Why  do  you  bring  them  to  me  ?  " 

Immediately  several  Mexicans  commenced  plung- 
ing their  swords  into  the  bosoms  of  the  captives. 
Crockett,  entirely  unarmed,  sprang,  like  a  tiger,  at 
the  throat  of  Santa  Anna.  But  before  he  could 
reach  him,  a  dozen  swords  were  sheathed  in  his  heart, 
and  he  fell  without  a  word  or  a  groan.  But  there 
still  remained  upon  his  brow  the  frown  of  indigna- 
tion, and  his  lip  was  curled  with  a  smile  of  defiance 
and  scorn. 

And  thus  was  terminated  the  earthly  life  of  this 
extraordinary  man.  In  this  narrative  it  has  been 
the  object  of  the  writer  faithfully  to  record  the  in- 
fluences under  which  Colonel  Crockett  was  reared, 
and  the  incidents  of  his  wild  and  wondrous  life, 
leaving  it  with  the  reader  to  form  his  own  esti- 
mate of  the  character  which  these  exploits  indicate. 
David  Crockett  has  gone  to  the  tribunal  of  his  God, 
there  to  be  judged  for  all  the  deeds  done  in  "the 
body.  Beautifully  and  consolingly  the  Psalmist  has 
written : 

"  Like  as  a  father  pitieth  his  children,  so  the 
Lord  pitieth  them  that  fear  him.  For  he  knoweth 
our  frame ;  he  remembereth  that  we  are  dust." 

THE   END. 


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Los  Angeles 


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